11.11.2023

GEORG NIGL sings Nekrotzar in Ligeti's "Le Grand Macabre" at the Vienna State Opera

In the only opera Ligeti ever wrote, Georg Nigl plays and sings Necrotzar, the eponymous Le Grand Macabre, who rises from his coffin and comes to Breughelland to proclaim the extinction of the earth. But his apocalyptic threats and nightmarish fantasies of omnipotence are thwarted by the inhabitants of Breughelland. Nekrotzar, heavily under the influence of alcohol, is prevented from bringing the world to an end - this leads to what is probably the most glorious drunken brawl in the history of opera, framed in a social scene that knows no taboos.

Boisterous, somnambulistic and rather quirky, Ligeti's endgame opera wraps itself in a motley cloak under which mischief reigns. Ligeti tells of humanity's drives and weaknesses, of corruption, sex, lust and, ultimately, the end of the world. It is an opera that demands a lot from the singers, both vocally and in terms of acting – a perfect match for Georg Nigl!

György Ligeti: Le Grand Macabre

Georg Nigl, Nekrotzar
Sarah Aristidou, Chef der Gepopo / Venus
Andrew Watts, Fürst Go-Go
Maria Nazarova, Amanda
Isabel Signoret, Amando
Wolfgang Bankl, Astradamors
Marina Prudenskaya, Mescalina
Gerhard Siegel, Piet vom Fass
Daniel Jenz, Weißer Minister
Hans Peter Kammerer, Schwarzer Minister
Jusung Gabriel Park, Ruffiack
Jack Lee, Schobiack
Nikita Ivasechko, Schabernack

Pablo Heras-Casado, Musical Director
Jan Lauwers, Inszenierung, Choreography & Staging
Lot Lemm, Costumes
Ken Hioco, Lighting
Paul Blackman, Co-choreography
Elke Janssens, Dramaturgy