Circus Days and Nights, a new opera by legendary composer Philip Glass, librettists David Henry Hwang and circus director Tilde Björfors, is based on a collecion af poems by American poet Robert Lax. Co-produced by Cirkus Cirkör and Malmö Opera, the collaboration will feature a unique, never before seen fusion of circus and opera.
The American composer Philip Glass, is one of the most influential in contemporary music. He has written operas, symphonies and chamber music as well as music for film, theatre and television. Arguably, he is most famous for his Portrait trilogy - the three operas Einstein on the beach, Satyagraha and Akhnaten.
His influence on contemporary classical music is difficult to overestimate. He is often described as a minimalist, but prefers to call his work "music with repetitive structures".
”I have had the rights to the poem for about ten years, but I couldn’t write the piece because I hadn’t found my circus. When I saw Tilde’s staging of Satyagraha it struck me: Here’s my circus”, - Philip Glass.
The cast will include soprano Elin Rombo, well known for her depiction of Eritea in Cavallis Eliogabalo at the Opéra National de Paris and as Queen of the Night in Mozarts The Magic Flute at Staatsoper Berlin. Last fall she sang the title role in Rufus Wainwrights Callas-inspired Prima Donna at The Royal Opera in Stockholm.
