Jörg Widmann: Das Gesicht im Spiegel (The Face in the Mirror) – Hungarian premiere
Performance by Neue Oper Wien
15 October 2022 | 7.00 pm
Müpa Budapest Festival Theatre
#Opera
#Classical music
#Contemporary music
Patrizia:
Roxane Choux
Music:
Jörg Widmann
Justine:
Ana Catarina Caseiro
Libretto:
Roland Schimmelpfennig
Bruno:
Wolfgang Resch
Set, costumes:
Christof Cremer
Sound:
Christina Bauer
Milton:
Andreas Jankowitsch
Lighting:
Norbert Chmel
N.:
Eszter Petrány
Featuring:
UMZE Ensemble, Women's Choir of Wiener Kammerchor (choirmaster: Bernhard Jaretz)
Director:
Carlos Wagner
Conductor:
Walter Kobéra
One of the most renowned composers and clarinettists of our time, Jörg Widmann wrote his first opera at the request of the Munich Opera Festival. The commission was for a piece that specifically addressed a contemporary, topical issue. Voted premiere of the year 2003 by the critics of Opernwelt, the work went on to be performed by several German companies and opera houses.
The piece, whose libretto was written by Roland Schimmelpfennig, is about an ambitious young couple, Patrizia and Bruno, who own a biotechnology company. The firm seems to be on the verge of making it big because one of its engineers, Milton has come up with the technology of cloning humans. He creates a perfect copy of Patrizia, who is even more perfect than the model, because, among other things, she can immediately recover from injuries. However, Justine, the clone, must not look in a mirror or else she would immediately realize she is but a copy... In addition to probing into ethical questions related to modern technologies, Widmann’s opera also presents a compelling emotional drama as Bruno and Milton become rivals when both fall in love with Justine.
For the excessive use of sound effects, we do not recommend the performance for those with epilepsy and other conditions with sensitivity to sound.
This performance of the Liszt Fest is presented by Müpa Budapest as a joint event with Neue Oper Wien.
Recommendations
15. 10. 2026
Autumn Margó Literary Festival
Between 15 and 18 October, readers will once again have the opportunity to discover the best of world and Hungarian literature at the Autumn Margó Literary Festival, held in the National Dance Theatre at Millenáris. Bernardo Atxaga, Steinunn...
More info
17. 10. 2026
Art Market Budapest
Art Market Budapest, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest international art fair and one of Europe’s significant contemporary art events, brings a special experience to art lovers and art professionals for the 16th occasion in October 2026. The...
More info
19. 10. 2026
Balázs Fülei | András Szalai
Resignation is the keynote of the old Liszt’s compositional style. As a young pianist and then composer, he had travelled all across Europe and had created some of the most important works of the 19th century: he was universally celebrated. By this...
More info