Die dunkle Seite des Mondes

Libretto by the composer, with the co-operation of Kerstin Schüssler-Bach (G)

2S,CT,2T,Bar,BBar; mixed chorus;
3(II=picc,III=afl).2(II=corA).3(II=Ebcl,III=bcl).2(II=dbn)-4.3.2.btrbn.1-perc(4):I+II=xyl/vib/glsp/tub.chime/waterphone/cym(med)/pair of cyms(lg)/2tam-t(med,lg)/mark tree/sistrum/flex/tgl/tamb/whip/guiro/sand box/maracas/4gong; III+IV=crot/bass marimba/3timp/dobaci(lg)/cym(lg)/pair of cyms/tamb(sm)/tgl/guiro/BD/SD(lg)/3tom-t/thunder sheet(lg)-harp-pft(=cel)-accordion-strings;
on-stage: accordion-db

ca. 1930

Dr Kieron is a scientist who has achieved worldwide fame for his ground-breaking research in the fields of physics and astronomy. Despite his unrivalled position and reputation, he is not satisfied and is driven by a strong thirst for knowledge and an inexhaustible urge to explore. He is respected and envied by his colleagues for his brilliance, but feared and deeply hated for his sharp-tongued and relentless criticism. His nickname is ‘scourge of God’.
In contrast to his self-confident demeanour, Kieron is a fragile, inwardly torn personality. And no-one around him has a clue about some secrets he is hiding. He has a penchant for the irrational. His personality radiates a mysterious energy and so much of what he touches breaks spontaneously, be it experimental equipment or human relationships.
But what nobody suspects is that every night he is haunted in his dreams by three recurring beings, enigmatic numbers and mysterious symbols, which he experiences with unbearably intense feelings. It is from these apparitions that he receives his scientific visions - the fundamental basis of his success.

Act I
Scene 1: Kieron dictates his assistant Cornelius a letter to his colleague Dr Spinberg: a rude review of his latest work. He also insults another scientist, Dr Raubenstock, who visits his office, and mocks Cornelius because of his upcoming marriage. Students and postgraduates of Kieron come in and they express their admiration for his genius. Kieron critisises their work and dismisses them. Alone in the room, he reflects upon his dreams and urge for knowledge.

Scene 2: Kieron leads a double life. A highly respected scientist by day, he dives into the shady underworld at night in a restless search for human happiness. He enters a shabby bar. Drunken, he flirts with some women but does not want to lift his incognito. He claims to have absurd jobs, picking spaghetti or bending bananas. He insults the guests and gets kicked out of the bar. Miriel finds him. She is a young woman who has been living in the neighbourhood for some time. Every day she has to find money for her morphine use, so she feels hunted by her addiction and is deeply sad. She had a brief, passionate relationship with Kieron without knowing who he really is. The relationship was abruptly ended by Kieron without him giving a reason. Nevertheless, she still feels a deep affection for him because she suspects that he is in a similar state of emotional distress to herself.
Miriel tries to help Kieron. But he fiercely resists and tells her to stay away for her own good. Reluctantly she leaves him. Kieron reflects on his loneliness:
“The moon is not the same one Adam observed.
Over billions of years, it was heaped with longing and lamentations.
Behind the bright radiance, there is a dark side of the moon,
and that dark side is full of scars and unshed tears.
The ground is strewn with shards of moonlight,
and I am going for a walk among them, my soul naked.”

Scene 3: In Kieron’s sleep three dream figures appear: the Creature of Light, Anima and The Bright Girl. Other dark figures are haunting him. Kieron finds fulfilment in these strange visions, but at the same time he looks for the key to understand them. Cornelius reminds him that it is high time to leave for the Institute.

Scene 4: Kieron gives the welcome speech for Dr Spinberg’s lecture but again criticises and insults him. Surprisingly Miriel enters the lecture room. Kieron is highly embarrassed and pretends she is his cleaning woman. He casually mentions that he recently got married and his household is in disorder. As his colleagues don't seem to buy this improvised explanation, Kieron immediately changes the subject. In an unusually obliging tone, he encourages everyone present to continue their research.
He is now alone with Miriel. She has found out his real name and where to find him, as he has lost his wallet in the bar. She encourages him to be open to their love. But he again asks her to leave and forget him.
Now Kieron admits to himself that he cannot cope with all these emotional burdens - his frustration as a scientist, his loneliness and his inner turmoil - on his own. Desperate, he calls for help.

Scene 5: Kieron seeks out the ‘soul healer’ Master Astaroth, who is surrounded by his patients. Astaroth recognises him immediately and pretends to be at least his equal as a scholar. In a sharp exchange of words, Astaroth tries to convince his sceptical new customer of his healing methods. Kieron can barely conceal his contempt for the ‘charlatan’. Astaroth, on the other hand, calculates the benefits he could derive from such an unusual patient. He succeeds in making Kieron hesitantly open up to him, feel understood and finally pour out his heart. Kieron talks about his dreams and the apparitions. Astaroth is fascinated and promises that with his help Kieron can unlock the secrets of the universe and will never be lonely again. The condition is that he tells Astaroth all his dreams. Kieron agrees on the condition that nobody finds out about their connection. They seal a pact.

Act II
Scene 6: Kieron is dreaming. He is in the foyer of a theatre and is lost in the cloakroom. There he meets Astaroth, who ignores him. Panicked, Kieron rummages through the cloakroom. Then, out of his reach, he sees the Creature of Light, Anima, and the Bright Girl. They remain in a sphere to which Kieron has no access.

Scene 7: Kieron's colleagues Dr Spinberg, Dr Pulski and Dr Raubenstock are discussing an important government assignment. In view of the unstable global political situation, they are tasked with developing the ultimate bomb that will finally bring the world a long-awaited peace. They are under time pressure because they have to get ahead of their opponents. For this endeavour, they are dependent on Kieron's ideas, even though they can't stand him.
In his study, Kieron ponders where Astaroth's answer lies. When his colleagues try to persuade him to build the bomb, he is horrified and wants to refuse. They continue to pester him. To save himself from the situation, he announces that he has managed to publish a ground-breaking theory that they can use.
But since Kieron joined forces with Astaroth, his dreams have lost their luminous powers. As a result, the source of his creativity has also dried up. Kieron feels betrayed.

Scene 8: Panicked, Kieron visits Astaroth and reports on his disastrous mental state. Astaroth feeds him empty explanations. Kieron painfully remembers Miriel but Astaroth brushes this thought aside. He is much more interested in the bomb project and cynically comments on Kieron's refusal to participate. He demands that Kieron publicly admits to their connection.

Scene 9: Kieron's colleagues at the Institute have become impatient because he hasn't provided any impetus for a long time, let alone revealed the ultimate theory he announced.

They wonder whether he is working at all and break into his house. In his study, they come across strange formulae and texts. When they discover that Kieron is corresponding with Astaroth, they make fun of his unscientific penchant for magic. They also find his real name in the papers: Pascheles. They want to confront him.

When Kieron comes home, he is stunned to see that his study has been completely ransacked. Full of despair and panic, he searches for Miriel in the bars and pubs of the red light district. She appears, but is unreachable for him and leaves his life.

Scene 10: Kieron is dreaming. He meets the Creature of Light, Anima, and the Bright Girl who wants to send him a message. Astaroth squeezes the Bright Girl's throat and disappears with her. Dark figures threaten Kieron. Astraroth drives the Creature of Light, Anima and the Bright Girl bound in front of him. Kieron realises that he has been manipulated by Astaroth the whole time. He wants to kill him, but Astaroth reveals to him that he is merely Kieron's own reflection, which he has summoned himself. Astaroth binds him too and pulls everyone into the darkness.

Unsuk Chin drew inspiration for her second opera from the life and work of the legendary physicist Wolfgang Pauli and his relationship with the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. Faustian material for the 21st century.

…a work of restless sonic invention… The music offered a vivid window into the unsaid and the unsayable.”
New York Times

“Chin’s music, as always delicate, complex and intriguingly descriptive… Musically, this is an outstanding evening.”
Financial Times

“…a strange, outlandishly convoluted and yet profound plot, combined with dazzlingly complex, powerful and violently triumphant music…”
Suddeutscher Zeitung

Dramatic