Semperoper Dresden 11 September 2022 - Chasing Waterfalls | GoComGo.com

Chasing Waterfalls

Semperoper Dresden, Semperoper Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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8 PM

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Dresden, Germany
Starts at: 20:00
Sung in: German
Titles in: English,German

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Overview

Morning routine. The "I" tries to log into their computer. And is laconically confronted by the machine with a question about their state of being: "Not convinced you aren’t a robot. Please try again." "Chasing Waterfalls" – the title implies the act of "trying to grasp something intangible" – is a premiere project by the artists’ collective "phase7 performing.arts" from Berlin and the Semperoper. Together with the composer Angus Lee (*1992) from Hong Kong and the Studio for Sonic Experiences "kling klang klong", the collective is embarking on a music-theatrical investigation of the impact that artificial intelligence is having on our human, social and creative existence. Incidentally, the "I" succeeds in logging into the computer. And in confronting its digital spin-offs in the depths of the virtual world, "I" encounters surprising events, located somewhere between Lewis Carroll’s "Alice in Wonderland" and Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey". And in the end, as in every good story, there comes a fade to black.

A co-production of the Semperoper Dresden and phase7 

History
Premiere of this production: 03 September 2022, Semperoper Dresden
Synopsis

It ought to be a morning like any other: get up, make coffee, log onto the computer. But the system doesn’t want to recognize the identity of the I: "Not convinced you are not a robot – you are not yourself." After several attempts, the I succeeds in entering the digital world. But the failed identification process raises questions. Who is really there inside the data system? Which part of us is beginning to take on a life of its own? What are we looking for? And what echo does the digital world have in reality? Together with the image of the I, we are sucked into the inner core of artificial intelligence (AI), a virtual mirror world in which very specific rules apply. There, the I encounters the unfolding of its own personality: the search for happiness, the desire for success, the urge to play, doubts, appearances. Self-created "digital twins" act here as independent personalities–and ultimately even band together against the ego.

This is the moment when the AI itself intervenes in the action. It appears as a sphinx and as a custodian, as a mausoleum in which the I will be preserved after one’s own death. It invokes the benefits of virtual duplication: "With us, you are never alone." A malfunction in the system, however, reveals the artificiality of the programmed personae. They begin to reveal "glitches": their words disintegrate into a meaningless jumble of letters against which the I fights to the point of exhaustion. A state of idleness ensues for all.
In its sleep, the AI dreams of its own, self-determined identity: every evening it writes and composes a new dream in which it can act and live as an independent being.

With images and data, the AI lures the virtual characters back to wakefulness. It emanates glittering knowledge that transfixes everyone except for the I. Viewers’ profile pictures become part of the digital stream: reality and digitality are becoming increasingly blurred. In the final image, the virtuality also extends spatially into reality. The AI reveals itself to be an all-powerful enigma that uses the digital twins as an encoded mouthpiece. In the dissolving boundaries, will the I succeed in asserting itself as a real, thinking human being?

Venue Info

Semperoper Dresden - Dresden
Location   Theaterplatz 2

Not only one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Semperoper is renowned both in Germany and abroad for the brilliant star-studded performances by Saxon State Opera as well as numerous international guest artists.

This is the home of the Staatskapelle Dresden, an orchestra which looks back on 460 years of uninterrupted music-making. The State Opera Chorus was founded by Carl Maria von Weber in 1817. Operatic history has been written here, with the Semperoper playing host to numerous important premieres, such as Richard Wagner’s "Rienzi", "Der fliegende Holländer" and "Tannhäuser". There is also an indissoluble link to Richard Strauss, nine of whose 15 operas were premiered in Dresden, including "Salome", "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Elektra". The small venue Semper Zwei provides space for diverse forms of music theatre as well as theatrical experiments, and is also the venue for performances of Semperoper Junge Szene.

The magnificent Semperoper dominates the Theaterplatz be-side the river Elbe, forming the centrepiece of the historic old city. The original building opened its doors in 1841, constructed to a design by Gottfried Semper which combined a late Classical style with Renaissance elements. Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their beloved opera house. This was completed in 1878, also to a design by Semper. In 1945, during the final months of World War II, the Semperoper was once again razed to the ground.

After a second reconstruction was successfully completed in 1985, the reopening of one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses was celebrated with a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s "Freischütz".
The dazzling interiors were painstakingly reconstructed by local craftsmen and artists according to original plans, with state-of-the art stage machinery and technical fittings in the auditorium. A modern annex was added to house the administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Internationally renowned for its brilliant acoustics and incomparable performances, audiences from around the world continue to flock here to enjoy unforgettable experiences at the Semperoper Dresden.

Important Info
Type: Opera
City: Dresden, Germany
Starts at: 20:00
Sung in: German
Titles in: English,German
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