Four
characters in the anonymity of the chatroom… the 21st century
“Un Ballo in Maschera”.
CHAT is a single-act, hi-tech opera combining contemporary music,
video art and live electronics with traditional classical opera
and performance arts.
The libretto, an intricate mosaic of excerpts from real chatroom
sessions and snippets from Da Ponte’s libretto for Mozart’s
"Cosi Fan Tutte", is all about the eternal desire to reach
out and seek true love. The result transcends beyond the banality
of the language and the medium, and unfolds the emotions and the
interactions of the protagonists.
CHAT, true to its title, is a true contemporary opera. With computer
screens pouring constant dialogue onto the audience, electronic
soundtracks weaved into the live performance and a non-conventional
structure and setting. it is a cynical take on technology and people. |
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The
anonymity of the internet is deceiving. Four characters/archetypes,
adequately nicknamed “ScaredGirl” – the lover,
“Shout4Joy” – the needy, “Butterfly1228”
– the appeaser and “Fantom” – the observer,
engage in a chatroom session, trying to reveal the true identity
and expose the weaknesses of each other.
A love quartet forms, as falling in love is almost instantaneous
in the chatroom. The characters “whisper” each other,
desperately seeking intimacy. Their attempts to find true love,
however, are doomed to be futile. Under the veil of the chatroom,
the characters face the rude awakening of their own incapability
of being truthful.
The four movements – “Anybody from?”, “Whisper
me”, “Will you marry me?” and “Disconnect
from server” - take us through the full circle of falling
in love and disillusionment. The characters achieve redemption only
in the finale, when for the first time they unveil themselves and
exit the chatroom.
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Four
vocalists/narrators convey the chatroom activity. They maintain
their anonymity for the most part of the opera, singing behind a
semi-opaque projection curtain, and expose themselves only in the
finale.
Four instrumental soloists - piano, accordion, cello and percussion
- counterpart the vocalists with extended featured sections.
Video screens are used to create the chatroom environment by constantly
feeding chat content and projecting images and video art that interact
with the on- stage performance.
The conductor and the 10-piece ensemble bring together all of the
elements. The musicians and the conductor are placed on the stage,
rather than in the traditional pit, making them an integral part
of the visual experience, not only the musical performance. |
