Montoliu-Kostüm/Bühne

Zeit

Choreography & Stage Direction: Marguerite Donlon November 2021 Photo Oliver Look

Zeit

Compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Luciano Berio, Claude Debussy, Ferruccio Busoni and John Adams, and electronic music by Michio Woirgardt.

The heartbeat marks the beginning of human life. In an embryo, the heart begins to beat as early as the 22nd day, at a rate of between 60 and 80 beats per minute — approximately 100,000 beats per day. A single moment can change a whole life. There are moments when you want to cry out like Faust, 'Stay, you are so beautiful!' And then there are days when the hours drag on and time refuses to pass.
What is time? Always there, yet intangible. It is constant, yet perceived differently by each individual. Does it dictate our lives, or does it provide us with direction? Can it be stopped, and if so, does it then disappear? Would that mean eternity? It is said that in black holes, time is stretched until it comes to a standstill. It takes a ray of sunlight about eight minutes to reach Earth. That seems quite fast, considering the distance is about 150 million kilometres. But even that is relative. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking were not the first to study time, space and black holes. Even in ancient times, people looked to the stars for guidance. Today, there is a lot of talk about slowing down. 'Time is money!' has been replaced by 'Carpe diem!' as the order of the day. Looking up at the universe is always a good way to gain new perspectives. Hawking himself advised us, 'Look up at the stars and not down at your feet!'

Musical direction: An-Hoon Song.
Choreography and stage direction: Marguerite Donlon.
Set and costume design: Belén Montoliú.
Video: Michio Woirgardt
Lighting: Ernst Schiessl
Dramaturgy: Juliane Piontek

World premiere November 2021.