Adam’s passions the world premiere took place in 2015 in Tallinn, in 2018 the play visited Berlin, and since then it has not been performed anywhere. Now the unique production has been restored at the initiative of the Rome Opera. Two evenings, March 31 and April 1, Adam’s passion sounded in the conference center designed by the Italian architect Massimiliano Fuchs The cloud. The performance requires a specific arrangement of the hall: the stage is on one side, while the orchestra, choir and soloists are on the other side, behind the audience.
The musical director of the production is the Estonian maestro Tenu Kaljuste, who is one of the closest associates of Arvo Pert and one of the most outstanding interpreters of his music. The orchestra and choir of the Roman Opera played in the show, solo parts were sung by the artists of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Italian and Estonian actors were also on stage. Main roles in Adam’s passion In Rome, as before in Tallinn and Berlin, the Greek dancer Mihalis Theofans and the legendary American choreographer and dancer Lucinda Childs played.
The show features four compositions by Arvo Pert: an opus for string orchestra and percussion instruments Following (2014/2015; this work dedicated to Robert Wilson was composed especially for the production), an opus for mixed choir and string orchestra Adam’s lament (2010), opus for two violins, string orchestra and prepared piano Tabula Rasa (1977) and an opus for soloists, mixed choir, ensemble and organ To pity (1989/1992). Arvo Pert’s spiritual music and Robert Wilson’s theatrical language complement and enrich each other in the production – in Adam’s Passion two giants of modern culture go hand in hand, their hearts beat in the same rhythm, they understand each other and together create something that has never existed before. Pert and Wilson have created their own world in art and open it to the audience – this world is touching and full of contrasts, alongside beauty there is always tension in it.
“I could compare my music to white light, which contains all the colors. Only a prism can separate the colors and make them appear. This prism could be the spirit of the listener,” says Arvo Pert. “Perth’s music itself is a deep feeling that allows you to listen to the silence. His music gives me time to think and dream, it is about light and darkness. It is the darkness that makes his music brighter,” adds Robert Wilson.
The performance is pictorial, plastic and sculptural: the director immerses the audience in darkness, which gradually turns into light. This is one of Robert Wilson’s most thrilling, most soulful performances, made unforgettable by the performance of dancers Michals Teofan and Lucinda Childs: they walk along an invisible rope, mesmerizing with the slightest movement of a finger, a twinkle in their eyes and absolute concentration, together with the music, the dancers are the center of energy. Michalis Teofans is Male, Lucinda Childs is Female. She enters the Man’s life and changes his world and the world of humanity – or for the better? The visual and choreographic story is sufficiently abstract and a wide variety of interpretations are possible.
“Robert Wilson creates a space for the perception of music, he does not directly focus on dramaturgy, besides, it should be remembered that only two of the four pieces of the show have text. Wilson creates characters that keep a certain distance from the music, and this helps to listen to it better,” says conductor Tenu Kaljuste. “I myself had not seen this show and what was happening on the stage for a long time, because I was conducting with my back to the stage. I watched it for the first time when I was flying with Lufthansa plane to America and during the flight was offered the one made in Tallinn Adam’s passions record. It’s great! The record is the most important – it is a document that remains, it successfully focuses the viewer’s attention. When sitting in the hall, a person tends to look in different directions, but the video version directs the gaze precisely,” emphasizes the conductor.
Adam’s passions a video recording and a documentary film by director Günter Atteln Paradise Lost about the creation of the project has been issued by the company Stress Music.
Tenu Kaljuste adds that after Arvo Perts Adam’s passions the premiere in Tallinn was very happy.
More about what happened in 2015 Adam’s passions read the premiere in Tallinn here.
