In the Penal Colony by Glass, sön 21 nov 2021, Från (2021/2022), Regisserad av Angelika Zacek, Dirigent Yuri Ilinov, Bühne am Park, Gera, Tyskland

"The principle on which I decide is: there is always no doubt about the guilt." Officer A convict is to be killed. The executive organ is an officer who does not question traditional execution practices. The new commander of the penal colony has ordered a visitor to witness the execution. The officer meticulously describes the functioning of the execution apparatus to the visitor - idea, construction and finally the method. This method is the cruellest and most inhumane one can imagine. The officer explains all the details in a passionate and objective manner. He is convinced that the machine transforms the condemned; when he sees the reprehensibility of his offense, he regrets it. However, while awaiting his execution, the convict is unaware of his sentence or the type of punishment. The visitor is increasingly appalled by Written in 1914, Franz Kafka's (1883-1924) story continues to fascinate today with its enormous variety of interpretations - historical, biographical, literary, legal, philosophical, religious ... Philip Glass' (* 1937) congenial setting for two singers and a string quintet creates a very special musical atmosphere with the repetitions that are characteristic of him: the minimalist sounds dig into the flesh like the needles of the execution apparatus.