symposium: Stockhausen’s LICHT, critically revisiting music theatre in the late 20th century

Music theatre has always been a site of experimentation. The combination of sound, vision and movement, joined nowadays by media and technology, has inspired composers to explore human psychology, social interaction, ritual and religion, politics – in short anything of interest to humankind. One of the almost legendary accomplishments in this is Karlheinz Stockhausen’s opera cycle LICHT. Occupying seven full days, it claims a share of the spectators’ lives – rewarding them with more than music, namely a spiritual world of its own.

The symposium aims to embed these claims through critically revisiting the state of music theatre in the late 20th century up to the present. How should we understand Karlheinz Stockhausen’s idiosyncratic music-theatrical vision? How does it relate to the history of opera and music? Into what future directions may such recent developments in music theatre take us?

Guest:
Thomas Ulrich (dramaturge)
Magdalena Zorn (musicologist)
Paul Griffiths (writer and librettist)

With financial support of ASCA

symposium: Stockhausen’s LICHT, critically revisiting music theatre in the late 20th century
7 June, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
ITA, Pleinfoyer (Leidseplein 26, Amsterdam)
language: English
Entrance is free, but please apply via this form