Munich, Bayerische Staatsoper: Jörg Widmann's Babylon

Extract

The world première of Jörg Widmann's new opera Babylon, conducted by Kent Nagano at the Bayerische Staatsoper, on 27 October 2012, was an evening to remember, for both the spectacular production and the musical performances. It began with a poignant announcement from the stage that Widmann had dedicated the performance in gratitude to the memory of his teacher, Hans Werner Henze, who had died that very morning in Dresden at the age of 86. One's thoughts turned to Henze's own wonderful operatic oeuvre, especially The Bassarids, which shared with Babylon an interest in ancient myth and pastiche. Yet curiously, it was a totally different postmodern influence on Widmann that seemed more evident here: that of another mentor, Wolfgang Rihm.