MEDIATHEK

Dai Fujikura’s first opera Solaris, co-commissioned by Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Opéra de Lille, Opéra de Lausanne, Ircam-Centre Pompidou and Ensemble Intercontemporain, had its world premiere in Paris on March 5th. The production was directed by Saburo Teshigawara who also wrote the libretto after Stanisław Lem’s famous novel. The multimedia production includes dance, live electronic and videos in 3D. Stanislaw Lem’s novel Solaris is about a scientist who is sent to a space station built on an ocean plant. The ocean mysteriously affects the behavior of the station crew, who are confronted with physical manifestations of their dreams, desires and prior experiences which are created by the sentient ocean on Solaris. In Fujikura opera, the ocean will be realized by electro acoustics and this sound world will be the seed for physical expression on stage. Solaris is no science-fiction opera, it is an exploration of the emotional flow of the novel realized by a composer and choreographer using a small cast of five solo singers. By creating Solaris in this way, by using their physical and musical responses to create a dramaturgy and then libretto they seek to create an emotional translation of Lem’s work that can unlock many personal inner worlds.