Orpheus in the Overworld

The Evros River, which runs through Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey, constitutes the south-eastern border of the European Union. As refugees find it increasingly difficult to enter Europe across the Mediterranean Sea, up to 80 percent of them are now crossing the land border into the EU via Greece. The Evros itself has gained sad notoriety as many people have lost their lives trying to cross the high-security border with its high fences and mine fields. At the same time, this no-man’s land is a natural paradise and a mecca for ornithologists. This area marks the location of ancient Thrace, described in Greek mythology as an archaic site. According to legend, Orpheus’s head floated down the Evros still singing even after it was torn from his body by the Erinnyes. In the music theatre piece, “Orpheus in the Overworld”, the international performance collective andcompany&Co. confronted the mythical importance of the area with the current reality of the border region. Based on the Orpheus legend, the piece incorporated interviews with witnesses and texts by the directors Alexander Karschnia and Nicola Nord. The composer Sascha Sulimma adapted Monteverdi’s “L'Orfeo” and integrated the texts into the musical structure of the opera. The piece has also been accompanied by electronic sounds and recordings made on site.

Artistic directors: Nicola Nord, Alexander Karschnia, Sascha Sulimma
Set designers: Jan Brokof, Joăo Loureiro (BR); Musicians/performers/singers: Irida Baglanea (GR), Bora Balci (TR), Georg A. Bochow (D), Knut Berger (D), Susanne Fröhlich (D), Simon Lenski (BE), Claudia Splitt (D), Sascha Sulimma (D), Komi Mizrajim Togbonou (D/TG), Reinier van Houdt (NL) &Co. and others.