Four scenes from an Erotic Drama with texts by Federico García Lorca
First performed May 10 1962, Schlosstheater Schwetzingen
Sung in German with German surtitles
Introductory talks (in German) in the Bockenheimer Depot 30 minutes before performances begin
An old man and a young woman: a hackneyed excuse for a laugh, with a surprising twist!
Bookworm Don Perlimplín’s been living as a recluse for years with his dedicated housekeeper Marcofa, who urges the bachelor to take a wife in later life. His neighbour’s daughter, the lovely Belisa, seems an obvious choice. Her mother immediately gives her consent because the wealthy Don's a good catch. We don’t get to see what actually happens on the wedding night; two goblins draw a curtain, telling us: »Things you don’t hide, can’t be discovered later on!« The new husband apparently couldn't sate the young woman’s unquenchable longing for physical love. Didn’t she cheat on him that very night with five men? And who’s the mysterious admirer who keeps vanishing round the corner before Belisa can see his face?
The Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca created a poetic enigmatic mixture of farce, the surreal and deep tragedy for which Wolfgang Fortner composed twelve-tone music, which indulges in seductive sound colours leaving the grotesque and mysterious up in the air, tracing the sensual sides of Lorca’s poetry. Instruments like the vibraphone, celeste and harp, guitar and cembalo create an unconventional world. A chance to discover a very rarely performed work!
