Die Reise zu Planet 9

Libretto by Paolo Madron; idea and German version by Paula Fünfeck (I,G)

colS,M,2T,2Bar,B, female chorus; mixed chorus off-stage;
2(II=picc).2.2.2-2.2.0.0-timp.perc(2):waterphone/glsp/xyl-harp-strings

King Krax is tired. Tired of ruling, tired of crises, tired of all the chaos on Earth: climate change, pandemics, inflation, wars – not a day goes by without new disasters. So it is fortunate that his cunning chief inventor Megapfiffikuss [“an incredibly clever person”] has a solution: a rocket that will carry the king away from all this misery – out into space to Planet 9, a supposedly uninhabited place full of peace, tranquillity and as rumour has it, a treasure of inestimable value. Krax doesn’t need a second invitation and firmly expects his daughter Lunatick to take over the reins of government in the meantime. But Lunatick has her own plans. She hacks into the on-board computer and joins the trip by force– and so begins the voyage to Planet 9, a mysterious legendary place that cannot be found on any map.

After an adventurous landing, however, it quickly becomes apparent that Planet 9 is by no means uninhabited. The Ninurians, strange and idiosyncratic beings, greet the new arrivals with great suspicion. Communication between the two worlds – Earth and Planet 9 – proves extremely difficult. While Lunatick attempts to establish contact through diplomatic channels, Megapfiffikuss has long since pursued his own goals: he wants to find the treasure and claim it for himself.

A complex power game ensues, in which loyalties, misunderstandings and cultural differences play a central role. Ironically Lunatick, who actually only wanted to escape the chaos, rises above herself: she begins to understand that running away is not the solution – and that a sense of responsibility does not always come with age.

Poetic