John Cage - Europera 5 (excerpts) video from the Contemporary Opera Berlin, 1999

John Cage (1912-1992)
• Europera 5 - excerpts from the first performance in Germany.
Amaral Vieira, piano
Catherine Gayer, soprano
Günter Neumann, tenor
Klaus Geitel, 78-rpm victrola
Direction: Christina Tappe, Andreas Rochholl
Premiere: 6th November 1999 - Hebbel-Theater, Berlin
"For 200 years the Europeans have sent us their operas. Now I am returning them all to them" - John Cage
The titel "Europera" (in the plural "Europeras") is a word play and means "your opera" as well as "Europe’s operas". Taking the compositional material of the 18th and 19th century operas as a base and using certain randoming techniques, John Cage deconstructed the structure and expression of the classical opera and, at the same time, created an homage to precisely this world of opera.
Two singers, a pianist and a grammophone player each interpret six works of the opera literature selected by them and take their longstanding opera experience onto the stage. They act, directed only by pure chance, and relate to the personal memories of opera of each listener in the hall.
Duration of the performance: 60 minutes