Opera fans can mark this date in their calendars: on June 18, 2022, the village square of St. Koloman will probably have its first opera premiere. “The Praetorian, Or the Tenderness of Thomas S. – A Power Game in Four Chat Protocols,” is the title.
According to their own statements, the makers were inspired by the reaction of the Burgtheater in Vienna. “We considered how the greatest possible artistic power and the most vicious silliness could make this painful attack on the dignity and integrity of Austrian democracy a little more tolerable. How should one react adequately to this game of abuse of power, greed and youthful hubris?” ask those responsible.
The result is an opera for soprano, alto and tenor, string trio and accordion. Anna Netrebko’s husband Yusif Eyvazov is not on the current cast. Anita Giovanna Rosati will slip into the role of Thomas Schmid. After all, a member of the German National Theater in Weimar. Laura Rieger takes on the role of the former Federal Chancellor. She was heard with Cherubino from Le nozze di Figaro in the Theater of the City of Schweinfurt and in the Daegu Opera House in South Korea. The music comes from Tristan Schulze.
