Neo Dome I

“Neo Dome I” was commissioned by the festival Mannheimer Sommer, produced by National Theater Mannheim. The invitation was to reinterpret Mozart’s Opera Idomeneo for the historical rococo theater in Schlosspark Scwetzingen. Featuring the choir of the Mannheim opera house and the soloists Marcel Brunner and Jessica Gadani the show revolved around a fateful moment in Mozart’s opera in which the sea, angry at human failures, sends a monster as punishment. The non-human elements of the masterpiece were placed center stage through a concentration on chorus scenes, ballet, and orchestral moments. Ethan Braun’s new arrangements and intervention within Mozart’s score freshened up the music, and Ashbel’s staging playfully juxtaposed it with the special architecture of the theater and the history of the park that surrounds it.