Die Orestie

But the battles continue. In the first part of the "Oresteia", the returned Agamemnon, who once sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia for good winds, is murdered by his unfaithful wife Clytemnestra. In the second part, the triumphant Clytemnestra is killed in revenge by her son Orest. Orest is spurred on to the deed by his sister Elektra and by Apollo from the Greek heaven of the gods. In the third part, Orest is on the run, haunted by delusions. Fearsome Furies, the quarrelsome Erinyes, chase him. A showdown ensues when the goddess Pallas Athena intervenes. But contrary to expectations, Orest's case is about a very fundamental decision: what should the future look like after the murder of a husband, the murder of a mother and a path paved with corpses? Will the killing go on and on? How should the case be decided?In the surreal imagery of his productions, Ersan Mondtag repeatedly examines tragic conflicts and archaic constellations: "The central question in the Oresteia is that of law and justice. In my perception of the world, this is also currently a central problem in various areas, be it the economy, justice or humanism. The tragedy makes it clear that it is important to develop an attitude as an audience member." With music by Max Andrzejewski, in a version by Ersan Mondtag and Matthias Günther

Photo credits: Armin Smailovic