Today, the Konzert Theater Bern presents the world première of Xavier Dayer's Alzheim, a musical theatre piece in 50 scenes, with a libretto by Jürgen Berger based on interviews with patients of Baan Kamlangchay, a home for demented patients from German-speaking countries in Faham, near Chiang Mai, Thailand.
It is Dayer's 6th opera, after Le Marin (Geneva, 1999), Les Aveugles (Saint-Denis, 2006) and Contes de la lune vague après la pluie (Rouen, 2015).
The work gives an insight into the world of patients and guests, telling stories about destinies of relatives. Here, authenticity becomes fiction. (freely adapted from the Theater Bern website).The cast includes soprano Marielle Murphy (Pflegerin), soprano Evgenia Grekova (Margret), mezzo soprano Claude Eichenberg (Magda) and baritone Robin Adams (Buddha). Jochem Hochstenbach conducts the Berner Symphonieorchester. Ludger Engels directs.
The required orchestra is the following :
- 1 flute (doubling piccolo and bass flute), 1 oboe (doubling English horn), 1 clarinet (doubling bass clarinet) ;
- 1 horn, 1 trumpet, 1 trombone ;
- 1 percussionist, 1 piano ;
- String quintet.
The performance takes place at Vidmar 1 and should last about 85 minutes.
