The Distant Sound

The artist's all-consuming pursuit of perfection is at the heart of Franz Schreker's lavishly orchestrated opera. Here we meet the young composer Fritz, who is desperately trying to recreate the “distant sound” he once heard so clearly. The project develops into an obsession that causes him to give up everything -- including his beloved Grete -- and travel out into the world in search of the timbre that just seems to get weaker and weaker the further away he gets. For Fritz does not understand that the timbre emanates from the love of his beloved. And the question is whether he will realize it before it's too late.

Schreker wrote both text and music for Den Fåra klang, and it was an immediate success, ushering in a new heyday for German-language opera at the start of the 20th century. It was a regular part of the repertoire for 20 years, but when the Nazis came to power, Schreker's music was branded as degenerate and was banned because he was Jewish. Schreker's operas are full of colourful and sensuous music, and now they are happily returning to the world's opera stages.

Acclaimed director Christof Loy has set in, and the Royal Chapel's chief conductor Marie Jacquot heads a large team of soloists with last season's acclaimed Apollon in Orest, Thomas Blondelle, in the lead role of Fritz.

The distant timbre is sung in German with Danish and English subtitles.

In collaboration with the Kungliga Operan, Stockholm

Photo: Royal Opera/Monika Rittershaus

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