Inventur. Annäherung an zeitgenössische Musiktheaterkonzeptionen für Opernbühne und Konzertsaal

Abstract

An increased interest in the conditions and possibilities of music-theatrical forms of expression has been discernible in the new music scene for some time now, which corresponds to an intensified theoretical discussion on the part of musicologists and theater scholars. However, the shortcoming of this is that, starting from experimental music theater forms of the 20th century, it is usually based on the concept of ‘music theater’ to create a demarcation from the concept of ‘opera’, while works closely tied to traditional institutions are much less often appreciated. It is precisely this repertoire that is the subject of this article, which is based on a lecture given at a symposium held at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in November 2019. Based on selected projects from the past years by Detlev Glanert, Moritz Eggert, Sarah Nemtsov, Evan Gardner, and Olga Neuwirth, it illuminates different strategies of music-theatrical composing created for the institutions of opera houses and concert hall. The categorization created by such a focus does not claim to be exhaustive, but rather is intended as a guideline in order to better assess and evaluate certain phenomena and decisions concerning the compositional process, the respective aesthetic solutions, and the situation of the performance. It allows conclusions to be drawn about composers’ willingness to innovate aesthetically in the face of institutionalized venues, but at the same time it also says something about the expectations that are directed at the audience. In this respect, it offers a basis for discussion against which certain developments in current music theater production can be better assessed.