Dødens Købmand by Bruun, P., Do. 11 Nov. 2021, Ab (2021/2021), Unter der Regie von Tine Topsøe, Royal Danish Theatre, Kopenhagen, Dänemark

A new chamber opera about the inventor of dynamite and the man behind the Nobel Prize – Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel. This is a story of war and peace. Alfred Nobel invented dynamite while a young scientist. He was convinced scientific progress would bring people together and create a world where war would no longer be necessary. From this philanthropic starting point, we follow his life as a plagued and disillusioned weapons manufacturer desperately clinging to his hopes for a better world. Two women are central in Nobel’s life. On one side, he was unhappily in love with intellectual Bertha von Suttner. A leading light in the peace movement, she is considered by many to be the woman behind the peace prize. On the other side, flower girl Sofie Hess was the woman Nobel never dared present to his circle of friends but could never give up. Nobel could not comprehend the contradiction in both manufacturing weapons and working for peace. A paradox also evident in the world today, as we build up our arsenals while hoping to secure peace. The Merchant of deathis a richly faceted psychological drama that highlights issues we still struggle with today.