Three mean, nasty guys by Moultaka, From (2024/2024), Directed by Annika Nitsch, Conductor David Preil, Semperoper, Dresden, Germany

Konrad lives with his parents in a beautiful house. Unfortunately, it’s located in a dreadfully haunted area, where the Fat Monster, the Pale Nightmare and the Ghost are up to no good. Then Konrad gets sick and tired of it all: armed with anti-ghost balls, he heads for the sooty castle where the three guys live. Luckily, he meets the mysterious chequered cat, who knows just how to outsmart the nasty guys ... Best known for his »Sams« books, Paul Maar’s »Drei miese, fiese Kerle« is a cheeky tale of courage rewarded for children aged five and up. And it proved to be the perfect inspiration for Lebanese-French composer Zad Moultaka. In 2019, he created an entertaining and colourful composition that brings to life – both visually and aurally – the fantastic world of Paul Maar (or Konrad?), complete with ghosts and a chequered cat.