MEDIATHEK

Rache chronicles four tales of vengeance. Four women take the law into their own hands: the biblical Judith, The Bride from Tarantino's cult film Kill Bill, Elektra from the ancient Greek drama by Aeschylus, and, stemming from harsh reality, the German mother Marianne Bachmeier. Driven by perhaps questionable yet somehow understandable motives, they take the conflict to the extreme by committing a murder. Revenge as the ultimate breach of impotence, when all other attempts to influence or change the course of events has failed.

The performance is about adventure and empowerment, sexuality and motherhood, militancy and courage, justice and compassion. ELECTRA and composer Boudewijn Tarenskeen allow four deadly women the benefit of the doubt when assessing their act, bringing them to life with the finesse of a new music ensemble and the power of a rock band. Tarenskeen and the musicians of ELECTRA use audible, visible and tangible means to show how justice and anger, love and violence are interrelated. Hatred and compassion, motherly love and lust. How beauty can also be hidden within bloody revenge.

The selected stories go beyond serving as the compelling motivation for this haunting music. Each story tells something about the prevailing morality of an era; they derive their dramatic weight mainly from the question whether the act was justified: was the woman acting from a primitive instinct, was she guided by a supernatural law or was the decision legitimized through purely rational grounds? And who can judge this? The composer worked extremely closely with each musician. Therefore, for example, the role of Marianne Bachmeier is given to recorder player Susanna Borsch; she is of German origin and recalls the dramatic case well. And violinist Monica Germino, who grew up in the United States, plays violent character of The Bride from Kill Bill.

In Rache the musicians slip into the skin of a mythical or historical character that they would never wish to be or emulate, with the goal of gaining an in-depth understanding of their personages. Armed with their instruments, they examine the arguments that led to revenge. Musically and theatrically, they take turns interpreting the scenario that underlies their performance. A soloist functions as the protagonist for each part, assisted by the remaining three who function as antagonists, an orchestra pit, gerauschmacher (noise-makers), or technicians.