Olga Neuwirth is one of the outstanding composers of our time and has written a new opera in collaboration with Nobel Prize winner, Elfriede Jelinek. As avatars of themselves, they send two vampires (vampis) on a trip around the world. They observe the decline of humanity, whilst a tyrannical king and his own pet sea monster vie for ultimate power. Monster's Paradise is a tragedy and satire at the same time. The director of the Hamburg State Opera, Tobias Kratzer, makes his Zurich Opera debut with this brand new political grotesque. Swiss conductor, Titus Engel, conducts the Zurich Opera and Ballet Orchestra.
Olga Neuwirth (*1968) — Monster’s Paradise (opera) (2025) on a libretto by Elfriede Jelinek and Olga Neuwirth
Titus Engel — conductor
Tobias Kratzer — director
Matthias Piro — scenic coach
Rainer Sellmaier — sets, wardrobe
Janic Bebi, Jonas Dahl — visual media
Michael Bauer — lighting design
Markus Noisternig — live electronics
Christopher Warmuth, Fabio Dietsche — dramaturgy
Vampi — Sarah Defrise
Vampi — Sylvie Rohrer
Bampi — Kristina Stanek
Bampi — Ruth Rosenfeld
Der König-Präsident — Georg Nigl
Der König-Präsident — Robin Adams (14th & 18th March)
Gorgonzilla — Anna Clementi
Mickey — Andrew Watts
Tuckey — Eric Jurenas
Ein Bär — Ruben Drole