MUSIC FOR THE LIVING
Opera in two acts

The central theme of this work is the possibility of a catastrophic nuclear war and the destruction of the world and everything that human beings have created. A crystal-clear boy’s voice functions more or less as an imploring appeal to life and peace. The architecture of the opera follows the multi-layered laws of the symphony: at times, the music corresponds to visual forms, and at other times they form dissonances with these – a subject that has determined Kancheli’s symphonic production so far. The work does not tell a story; instead it is constructed on allegories and metaphors. The first act is basically designed as a musical pantomime in which the collision of sharp contrasts leading to mutual destruction is represented. In the second act, actors perform an Italian opera for the wounded. Witty, independent arrangements, musical and scenic representations and daring metaphors mark the character of the performance in which tyranny and evil, war and murder are overcome by the pure, beautiful sounds of the music.

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