related works

octavia. trepanation : Opera based on the tragedy "Octavia", attributed to Seneca and Trotsky's essay on Lenin / Dmitri Kourliandski; libretto: Boris Yukhananov and Dmitri Kourliandski

Genre: Opera, musical theatre
Subgenre: Opera
Scoring: soloists GK4 tape

Ontstaan in grote nood : opera in 5 scenes, 1994 / libretto: Jo Willems, Gerard Ammerlaan

Genre: Opera, musical theatre
Subgenre: Opera
Scoring: 2sopr sopr-m ten bar GK5 6464 4sax 2531 5perc g(el.g) acc(pf) str

Salto mortale : opera in twee bedrijven, 1980 / muziek: Wim Stoppelenburg, libretto: Belcampo

Genre: Opera, musical theatre
Subgenre: Opera
Scoring: sopr alt ten bar bas 1111 1110 timp perc pf(cel) str(6.5.4.4.2.)

Eleni : A Lyric Opera in Two Acts / Nestor Taylor; libretto by Fergus Currie

Genre: Opera, musical theatre
Subgenre: Opera
Scoring: zang GK KK 2fl(picc) 2ob eh 2cl cl-b 2fg 4h 4tpt 3trb tb-cb timp 3perc hp str

composition

octavia. trepanation : Opera based on the tragedy "Octavia", attributed to Seneca and Trotsky's essay on Lenin / Dmitri Kourliandski; libretto: Boris Yukhananov and Dmitri Kourliandski

Other authors:
Kourliandski, Dmitri (Composer)
Description:
In conducting our trepanation of revolution, we open a forehead and discover death, blood and tiranny. We sanitize it and graft a Buddha into the cavity, then we sew the forehead back up. We remove the source of the bloody revolution to seal off the notion of war forever. We transform a tyrant and send him to Nirvana.
Boris Yukhananov

The Opera’s music is based on the opening phrases of the revolutionary song Varshavyanika, but streches them out in almost 100 times. The temporal transformation of the song reveals various harmonic and melodic metamorphoses that become “nutritional material” for the 80-voice chorus, soloists and live electronic music thus arises a hermetic, self-referential construction that feeds on itself.
Dmitri Kourliandski