MEDIATHEK

The Cross of the Engaged

Nicole Erbe, writer and theatre director at the Landestheater Neuss (Germany), was commissioned by composer Christian Klinkenberg to write the libretto and later to direct the opera. The topic was given by the composer - the libretto is based on a true story:
Marie Solheid and François Reiff are probably the most famous victims of the High Fens, a huge moor area in the Ardennes. In the summer of 1870, during the fair in the village of Jalhay, Belgium, two young people have met. Soon, they were yearning to be wed. In January 1871, Marie and Francois made their way to Xhoffraix, Marie’s birth-place, in order to get her marriage papers, but were surprised by a severe snowstorm. Weeks later, on March 22, 1871, the 24-year-old Maria Solheid’s body was found.
 
The composition was done using a real-time graphic video notation. The pitch is notated exclusively by note heads and microtonal accidentals on the lower third of the screen, sometimes supplemented by short written explanations or pictograms. These note heads are linked to a corresponding graphic element on the upper part of the screen by using the same color. Each musician, conductor, director, singer/actor and technician was given a custom-made video file, playable on his or her private laptop or tablet.
 
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