TRISTESSA

An opera in 2 acts by Jonas S. Bohlin, Torbjörn Elensky and Ann-Sofi Sidén

"I’m inching my way towards the beginning and the end of time.

I have not reached the end of the maze yet. I descend lower.

I must go further, descend lower."

Angela Carter from The Passion of new Eve

INTRODUCTION

Tristessa is a stage performance that addresses some of the most burning issues of our time.

The plot resists the grip of time and launches into a vision of a future that appears both tempting and terrifying. It describes the destruction and rebirth of a human being caught in a narrative where gender and identity are the driving forces that propel the piece towards an entirely unpredictable end.

The principal character appears in a spectacular setting that moves from chtonic caves via dystopian cities to palaces of ice and light. It is not only a physical journey, but also an inner journey, a dream play that calls the greatest social myth of Western culture into question.

Commissioned by the Royal Swedish Opera, Stockholm, in 2011, Tristessa is an adaptation of Angela Carter’s novel The Passion of New Eve (due to open in October 6 2018). The work is performed in English.

CHARACTERS

Young Tristessa - Mezzo Johanna Rudström

Evelyn - Tenor Joel Anmo

Eve - Mezzo Johanna Rudström

Old Tristessa - Tenor Joel Anmo

Mother - bass-baritone John Erik Eleby

Lilith/Leilah – Coloratura Soprano Kerstin Avemo

Nurse - Soprano Susann Vegh

Zero – bass-baritone  John Erik Eleby

Zero’s seven women – Sopranos and Altos from the choir.

Choir – Mixed Choir

INSTRUMENTATION

2 flutes plus 1 piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets plus 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons plus 1 contrabassoon, 3 horns, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones plus 1 bass trombone, 4 percussion instruments, 1 celeste, 1 harp, 1 harpsichord, strings

Director Katharina Thoma

Lighting designer Olaf Winter

Conductor Fredrik Burstedt