An interview with Claus Guth

Psychedelic rollercoaster ride

Claus Guth is now about to stage “Heart Chamber”, a new opera by Chaya Czernowin, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Dirigent: Johannes Kalitzke
Inszenierung: Claus Guth
Bühne und Kostüme: Christian Schmidt
Video-Design: rocafilm
Mit Patrizia Ciofi, Noa Frenkel, Frauke Aulbert; Dietrich Henschel, Terry Wey; Uli Fussenegger; Ensemble Nikel
SWR Experimentalstudio
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Live-Aufnahme aus der Deutschen Oper Berlin vom 13., 26. und 30. November 2019
1 Blu ray-Disc, auch als DVD erhältlich
Außerdem: <b>I did not rehearse to say I love you</b>
Dokumentarfilm von Uli Aumüller über die Uraufführungsproduktion (Dauer 90 Minuten)
Die Gesamtaufnahme von HEART CHAMBER ist mit dem Raumklangverfahren <i>Dolby Atmos</i> ausgestattet.
Chaya Czernowin: HEART CHAMBER
Foto:
 

Chaya Czernowin:
HEART CHAMBER

Conductor: Johannes Kalitzke; Director: Claus Guth; Set, Costumes: Christian Schmidt; Video-Design: rocafilm; With Patrizia Ciofi, Noa Frenkel, Dietrich Henschel, Terry Wey, Frauke Aulbert, Uli Fussenegger, Ensemble Nikel, SWR Experimentalstudio, Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin; 1 DVD, also as Blu-ray Disc; Live recording from the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 13, 26 and 30 November 2019.

Also:
I did not rehearse to say I love you; Documentary film by Uli Aumüller about the world premiere production (duration 90 minutes)
u. a. bei Amazon

For many years Claus Guth has been one of the world’s outstanding directors of opera, always on the lookout for present-day topicality and relevance in the classic repertory works. Yet he repeatedly finds that it is the new musical-theatre works of the 21st century that pose the trickiest challenges. Claus Guth is now about to stage “Heart Chamber”, a new opera by Chaya Czernowin, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

What does it mean for you to be directing a totally new, un-aired work rather than a well-known classic?
Premieres are always exciting. And a new work for the opera stage by Chaya Czernowin is the ne plus ultra in terms of journeys into the unknown. I’ve already directed two of her pieces. The first collaboration, “Pnima… ins Innere”, didn’t even have any words – it was all sound and noises. I had to take my time and get to know the composer a bit better before I got a feeling of what the piece was about – and in the end it was obvious. But it’s a process that needs time. It’s difficult at first, but it really pays dividends.

What’s HEART CHAMBER been like? Another opera without any words?
Chaya Czernowin herself has thrown some words together for “Heart Chamber”, but it’s more of a skeleton and does not in itself amount to an evening of theatre. To give you a rough idea: a man and a woman fall in love, but it doesn’t go smoothly. They’ve got some personal history that’s a problem, but what that is and how the relationship turns out is left up to the director. “Heart Chamber” is about this love story but also on a fundamental level it’s about loneliness, the kind of profound loneliness that we all have inside of us. Also about questions like How much of that loneliness should I be giving up for another human being? How much can I give up? Is that love? What is love, anyway? I come up with a storyline based on these questions.

Are you saying, as director, that you’re involved in creating the actual work?
To some extent, yes. When I’m doing a “Rigoletto”, for instance, the process is quite different. It’s a great feeling discovering an interesting new perspective on an old chestnut. The jumble of work for the director is immediately apparent to everyone. With a premiere like “Heart Chamber” the fascinating thing is that the audience is watching a story without realising that the plot is not part and parcel of the score. So, yes, I think of myself as a co-creator of something that’s having life breathed into it. And that’s kind of the ‘next level’, a step up from just interpreting the material my way – and it’s a challenge that I keep wanting to face.

What qualities do you need when you take this kind of plunge?
Curiosity. For a short while I enjoy doing what I can do, but after that I’m looking for something new and unfamiliar. I’m always in for a thrilling psychological trip, and it only works if the performers, too – not just me – reveal something of themselves. That requires trust – and it’s a hugely delicate path to tread with people. I find it fascinating. And with “Heart Chamber” everything’s new – for everyone. We’re all out of our comfort zone. With “Rigoletto” the singers may be thinking: I’ve got my part sorted; let’s see what the director’s going to come up with. But in a thing like this everyone’s feeling their way. How are these roles meant to be sung? What characters are there? What are their stories? So, more than is usually the case, I’m called upon to create a space of fearlessness, so that we can try things out and experiment.

What is special about a premiere that other opera performances don’t have? What might the audience take away with them?
On a premiere evening like the one coming up the audience has nothing to grab hold of. They buy a ticket for something called “Heart Chamber”, which doesn’t tell them very much. I love buying a ticket for something without having the slightest clue what’s in store for me. And another thing: when you sit down to a brand-new version of a golden oldie, your brain is following along with all its reason and rationality. You’re thinking: what’s that character going to say, and what does the other person say back? Or: Verdi wrote such and such in the libretto, it’s up there as plain as day in the surtitles, but the director’s got different stuff going on onstage. Why? The brain’s working, the cogs are turning furiously. “Heart Chamber” might turn out quite different, like a psychedelic rollercoaster ride. They close the doors, the lights go out and you’re sent hurtling through acoustic worlds, alien and bottomless, the likes of which you’ve probably never heard before. The electronics used by Chaya Czernowin are going to envelope the audience in totally new soundscapes. The instruments never play in the way that we’re used to them playing. This is new and radical stuff for the ears. People may gape a little at what they’re hearing. You’re a little amazed at it all, you switch off your intellect, and it’s best not to switch it back on until it’s over.

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