Name: Sarrasine
Start: 2024-05-10T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2024-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Deutsches Theater

Organization

Admin

Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen

Singer

Myrsini Margariti

Mme de Rochefide

Samuel Mariño

Zambinella

Juan Sancho

Sarrasine

Sreten Manojlovic

Balzac

Actor

Florian Eppinger

Mr de Lanty

Ronny Thalmeyer

Viennese FOP

Marina Lara Poltmann

Mme de Lanty

Orchestra

FestspielOrchester Göttingen

Others

Chamberchoir of the Universität Göttingen

Chorus master

Antonius Adamske

Conductor

George Petrou

Stage director

Laurence Dale

Costume designer

Giorgina Germanou

Set designer

Lighting designer

John Bishop

Choreographer

Carmine De Amicis

Göttingen

Germany

Deutsches Theater

Sarrasine George Petrou | Laurence Dale

Public

Staged

Opera

Luis Mariano Nomdedeu

Approved

Accordionist

Instrumentalist

Archlutenist

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Bassist

Bassoonist

Cellist

Clarinetist

Contrabassist

Cornettist

Flutist

Guitarist

Harper

Harpsichordist

Hornist

Lutenist

Mandoline Player

Musette de cour Player

Oboist

Organist

Percussionist

Pianist

Recorder Player

Saxophonist

Tenor Violinist

Timpani

Trombonist

Trumpeter

Tuba Player

Vibraphonist

Viola Pomposa Player

Viola da gamba

Viola d’amore Player

Violinist

Violino Piccolo Player

Violist

Broadcasting

Choir

Chorus Director

Composer

Dancer

Dramaturge

Executive producer

Extra

Hairstylist

Illustrator

Librettist

Makeup artist

Orchestra Operations

Other

Photographer

Poet

Repetiteur

Sound designer

Stage Manager

Teacher

Translator

Video designer

Vocal coach

Wig & Makeup Designer

Writer

Writing and performance

Tenor

Contralto

Mezzo-soprano

Bass

Countertenor

Bass-baritone

Soprano

Baritone

Alto

Child vocalist

Continuo

Silent

Spoken

”À la Balzac” is what literary nerds call a story that follows the model of the “realistic” novel. This is just how much the French writer Honoré de Balzac shaped the literary genre. The whole world is reflected in his books, his characters behave like real people, and you look in vain for average characters in his work.

In the novella Sarrasine, Balzac merged two narrative threads into one parable: Madame de Rochefide is sauntering with the first-person narrator at a Paris ball. When the resident of the house appears, something bizarre happens: upon Madame’s touch, the old man begins to scream. Afterwards, she wants to learn all about him. In a secluded room, she finds out from her companion that the old man once performed in Rome as the opera singer Zambinella. The sculptor Sarrasine, who did not know that the singer was a castrated man, fell in love with her.

It is a story about the uncontrollability of love, says George Petrou, who, together with director Laurence Dale, is reviving the novella as a Handel opera. After all, gender-swapping and sexual ambiguities on stage were completely normal in the 18th century: sopranos embodied male title roles, male and female protagonists alike were portrayed by castrati. With their luminously brilliant voices, they were predestined for heroic roles and mistresses and they were pretty much idolized by the audience. Petrou has selected arias that Handel discarded when composing operas. Not because they were of inferior quality, according to the Artistic Director; they were downright masterpieces that Handel discarded at the time for dramaturgical reasons. Petrou collected them for years and has now rearranged them to Balzac’s narrative. He has created a piece of musical theater for the 21st century, with a text published in 1830 and shockingly good music from the 18th century. Balzac would have been thrilled by the “being all one” narrative.

English

Sarrasine by George Petrou, Mon 20 May 2024, From (2024/2024), Directed by Laurence Dale,, Conductor George Petrou, Deutsches Theater, Göttingen, Germany

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues