Jesu Hochzeit

Libretto by Lotte Ingrisch (G)

S,2M,T,B; chorus;
2(II=picc).2.2.2-2.2.1.0-timp.perc-elec.gtr-strings

Jesus’ Wedding is a miracle opera which portrays the Redemption and Passion. The text of the holy scriptures has not been changed. The title refers to Jesus’ union with death, which here, as in the Hebrew and Romance languages, has a female gender. It is an alchemical wedding, the union of love and death, which redeems humankind from mortality.
Lotte Ingrisch

"Today, in times of global religious strife, Jesu Hochzeit (Jesus’s Wedding) is a particularly important piece." (Jörn Florian Fuchs, Deutschlandradio Kultur, 06 Aug 2016)

"Strictly speaking, this opera can be understood as the illustrious initial impulse of so-called postmodernism. In any case, it is living evidence for the possibility of making concise, clear, and yet literally unheard-of statements by means of major and minor. Even brutal statements that consolidate nearly breathtakingly in the work’s best moments." (Wilhelm Sinkovicz, Die Presse, 08 Aug 2016)

"The revival of Jesu Hochzeit finally makes possible a look at the work’s musical qualities, which were completely lost in the scandal in 1980. As in his other operas, Gottfried von Einem attempted here, too, to combine tradition with the search for new paths." (Thomas Schacher, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 13 Aug 2016)

"It remains to be hoped that other theaters rediscover this modern mystery opera, as love at second glance." (Eckhard Weber, Concerti, 06 Aug 2016)

Dramatic, Poetic