MEDIATHEK

"Raud-Ants" is a chamber opera by Kristjan Kõrver an Estonian composer known for his passionate, rhythmic, neo-expressionist music. "Raud-Ants" (Iron Ants) is a" lyrogrotesque" fable in music, which has been composed for the ensemble Resonabilis for voice, flute, zither and cello. The opera`s musical inspiration came from the 18th century "number opera". The musical story is divided into chapters and the vocal part of the chamber opera is inspired by the technical complexity historic opera arias.

The chamber opera "Raud-Ants" is a serious vocal challenge for the singer who carries both the weight of the narrator and several fairy tale characters. The instrumental soloists are also expected to be involved in theatrical activities. The libretto of the opera was inspired by the psychological analysis of the Grimm brothers` fairy tails in Arnold Bittlinger`s book "Origin of Christian Holidays".

The main protagonist Raud-Ants is a mysterious wild man, who lives in the deepest of the forests and is responsible for the disappearance of local people. He is captured by a brave hunter and held in the cage at the courtyard of the king’s castle. The king’s young son finds Raud-Ants and they decide to escape together, their destinies now entwined.

The opera aims to encourages the listeners onto a journey of contemplating on the mystery of a wild man and making the listener take a moment to look into the mirror asking themselves who (and where) is Raud-Ants?

The ensemble Resonabilis (Latin for "ringing, sounding") consists of a unique combination of instruments - a voice, a flute, a cello and a kannel. Kannel is a traditional string instrument known in the Baltic region and Finland under different names and in varying forms. To some extent, a kannel resembles the German zither or the Turkish kanun. Founded in 2002 by Tarmo Johannes and Kristi Mühling, Resonabilis constantly work to extend their repertoire in co-operation with different composers.

The opera has earned great recognition in Estonia for both its musical complexity and outstanding stage direction.