Les Arts proposes a reflection on human resilience with the opera ‘Fin de partie’, by Kurtág

• Based on the play by Samuel Beckett, the Hungarian composer's opera received the Opera Award in 2019 for best world premiere

• Markus Stenz in the pit and Pierre Audi on stage conduct the Spanish premiere of the only opera by one of the iconic composers of the 20th century

Valencia (26.10.20). The Palau de les Arts proposes a reflection on human resilience with the opera 'Fin de partie', by Kurtág, which premieres in Spain this coming Thursday, October 29.

“Valencia will become the third city in the world, after Milan and Amsterdam, where the only opera by György Kurtág (1926), considered one of the fundamental composers in the history of 20th century music, can be seen,” Jesús Iglesias Noriega pointed out.

The artistic director of Les Arts presented today at a press conference the operatic adaptation of the play by Samuel Beckett, with the presence of the musical director of the work, Markus Stenz, and the stage director Pierre Audi.

“But beyond its impact as a cultural event,” Iglesias Noriega pointed out, “the premiere of 'Fin de partie' represents a vindication of current creativity and aesthetic trends in the field of music and theater, as well as highlighting the role of culture as a space for encounter and reflection in times of uncertainty, such as those we are living through now.”

Therefore, Les Arts has chosen a theme for its season opening centered on the resilience of humankind. Following the performance of Shostakovich's 'Leningrad' Symphony, dedicated to the resistance of the Soviet metropolis against the Nazi siege, 'Fin de partie' delves into the physical and psychological confinement of the characters inhabiting Beckett's dystopian world. The thematic trilogy will conclude with María Pagés' choreographic vision in 'An Ode to Time'.

'Fin de Partie' is a La Scala production in Milan, co-produced with the Dutch National Opera. Directed by Pierre Audi, the production features set and costume design by Christof Hetzer, lighting by Urs Schönebaum, and dramaturgy by Klaus Bertisch. In 2019, the production won the Opera Award for Best World Premiere.

Les Arts brings together the same cast that prepared each of its characters with Kurtág himself, organized in workshops, and that starred in the world premiere of the work at La Scala in Milan on November 15, 2018: Norwegian bass Frode Olsen (Hamm), British baritone Leigh Melrose (Clov), British contralto Hilary Summers (Nell) and Italian tenor Leonardo Cortellazzi (Nagg).

Pierre Audi, who worked hand in hand with György Kurtág from the beginning of the project, proposes a staging that respects the social and psychological confinement suffered by the four protagonists imagined by Samuel Beckett and will be guided by the expressive force of Kurtág's music.

As he explains, “this piece is like Kurtág’s testament. It contains his entire life, all his experience, all the things that, according to him, can only be expressed through music, and I think that’s what makes it a very moving and very powerful work.”

“The result,” he continues, “is incredible because it manages to express what Beckett wanted to express with the text, but also with the music. Because there is a lot of music between the words, and for Kurtág that is like a second text, which makes this opera unique within the operatic repertoire.”

The Lebanese director and artistic manager also points to the similarities between 'Fin de partie' and the current global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We are dealing with a work that explores hope within a tragedy, but while the characters anxiously await their end, we anxiously await the opportunity to continue with our lives,” he explains.

Markus Stenz, for his part, celebrates that Les Arts has been able to maintain the complete orchestration of the score that premiered at La Scala in Milan, which will allow the Valencia audience to experience the full impact "of the original sound that the Hungarian composer wrote."

In this regard, he highlighted the work of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, which rehearsed the score under his direction, also following the texts of the soloists themselves to give greater expressiveness to the music.

“It’s an extraordinary score,” says the German conductor, “probably the most colorful score he’s ever written. What Kurtág has done here is take a very intimate piece and give color to every word of the text sung by the characters. It’s a masterpiece, extremely imaginative and very direct, like the stream of consciousness.”

'End of the game'

'Fin de partie', in addition to its premiere this Thursday, October 29, will also be performed on October 31 and November 1 and 4. The two-hour play will be performed without intermission.

Ticket prices for 'Fin de partie' range from 21 to 75 euros. For more information, those interested can visit the theater's website: www.lesarts.com .

Photo: Miguel Lorenzo