Olga Neuwirth: Monster’s Paradise in Hamburg and Zürich
The monstrosity of power is laid bare in the new opera by composer Olga Neuwirth and writer Elfriede Jelinek. As well as seeing the curtain going up on Monster’s Paradise at the Hamburg State Opera, February also brings the world premiere in Munich of Neuwirth’s Zones of Blue, written for clarinettist Jörg Widmann and conducted by Simon Rattle.
The powerful Austrian creative pairing of composer Olga Neuwirth and writer Elfriede Jelinek is reunited for the new opera Monster’s Paradise, following the success of their earlier collaborations on Bählamms Fest and Lost Highway. The premiere on 1 February is directed by Tobias Kratzer, the new artistic director of the Hamburg State Opera, with the six performances conducted by Titus Engel and a cast led by Georg Nigl. A further five performances follow at the Zürich Opera from 8 March and the work will be staged at Graz Opera in a future season.
The eagerly awaited stagework – part tragedy, part satyr play – takes as its subject the monstrosities of power and the world at a crossroads, posing the question whether only a monster can free the world from the clutches of another monster? Monster’s Paradise is commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera, made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and with the kind support of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Hamburg State Opera.
In their ‘Grand Guignol Opéra’, as Olga Neuwirth calls it, the Austrian duo continue the traditions of the Theatre of the Absurd and the myths of cult monster films, mapped onto the challenges facing humanity in the contemporary political world. “Wherever you look: cesspools,” says Neuwirth. “As an artist, I want to believe that our potential lies in pointing out injustices and still communicating with others, because it is important not to be afraid of alternative opinions and of contradiction.”
In grotesque exaggeration, the authors skewer the megalomania and hubris of (male) despots. Two female vampires grumble as they watch the apocalyptic goings-on in the world... They descend from their cloud to Earth to take a closer look at the catastrophes. The sea monster Gorgonzilla takes up the fight against a giant baby-like dictator. “This creature sings and speaks with an electronic effect reminiscent of 1970s horror films”, says Neuwirth.
“Yes, you cannot deny it, the King displays clear traits of Trump", Elfriede Jelinek told the Austrian outlet News. "He's modelled on Jarry's King Ubu, which for me is the most accurate depiction of a gluttonous, table-thumping, spoiled child. He always demands an extra scoop of ice cream for dessert – that’s important to him. Of course, literature has plenty of patterns for such monsters – somewhat amusing at first glance, yet terrifying upon closer inspection. One can only portray such figures in a monstrous way, although Trump is nearly impossible to caricature."
Olga Neuwirth continues her stylistic openness In the new opera: “I have never distinguished between ‘high’ and ‘low’. I grew up with human, social and artistic diversity.” The composer has always amalgamated jazz, pop, children's songs, electronics and cinematic editing techniques into a fascinating whole. Her music for Monster's Paradise, she suggests, “will snort, gasp and whimper through different frequencies of the ether in a world full of chaos and destabilisation”.
Five days after the premiere of Monster’s Paradise, Olga Neuwirth’s new rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra, Zones of Blue, receives its first performance at the Isarphilharmonie in Munich. The 20-minute score was written for soloist Jörg Widmann and the premiere sees Simon Rattle conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Further performances by Widmann follow with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra later in February, with the Cleveland Orchestra in May and at the Grafenegg Festival in August, with the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra programming the work in a future season.
The ’blue’ in Neuwirth’s title references a poem, Blue Song, by Tennessee Williams which the composer quotes in her score. When a student at Washington University, Williams pencilled the text into the back of a 1937 exam booklet for his Greek class, a course he was failing. The second stanza describes how “I am tired of speech and of action. In the heart of me you will find a tiny handful of dust. Take it and blow it out upon the wind. Let the wind have it and it will find its way home.”
Olga Neuwirth
Monster’s Paradise (2024/25)
A Grand Guignol opera
Libretto by Elfriede Jelinek and Olga Neuwirth
based on an idea by the composer
1 February 2026 (world premiere)
4/8/11/13/19 February
> Hamburg State Opera
8 March 2026 (Swiss premiere)
14/18 March, 10/12 April
> Zürich Opera
Conductor: Titus Engel
Director: Tobias Kratzer
> Further information on Work: Monster’s Paradise
Image: © (AI) Manuel Braun