SUNVILLE

Composition, Conductor: Sofia Jernberg
Libretto: Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Direction, choreography, stage concept: Stephanie Thiersch
Stage design: Sonja Füsti
Costume design: Lauren Steel
Concept, curation, dramaturgy: Elisa Erkelenz
Dramaturgie: Flavia Wolfgramm
English translations Roland Glasser
German translations: Lena Müller

Cast:
Soprano Sofia Jernberg
Alto Noa Frenkel
Countertenor Serge Kakudji
Storytelling, Performance Fiston Mwanza Mujila
Performance N. N.
Double bass, musical rehearsal Ole Morten Vågan
Saxophone Espen Reinertsen
Piano Kit Downes
String quartet Musiker*innen des Orchesters der Deutschen Oper Berlin

photos: @ Thomas Aurin

“Images of enchanting magic”
Klassik-begeistert.de/Sandra Grohmann

“In a world shaken by crises and identity-based divisions, Sunville turns to poetry, cultural diversity and humour to envision alternative futures.”
Radio France Internationale

“SUNVILLE knows how to draw on a wide variety of genres and styles time and again with virtuosity.”
Der Tagesspiegel/Johannes Furtwängler

“Sunville virtuously masters the art of drawing from a wide variety of genres and stylistic directions time and again. […] An almost pop-like piano chord meets diatonic strings, classical opera singing meets electric guitar, jazz meets techno, and tonal passages tilt into noise.”
Der Tagesspiegel/Johannes Furtwängler

“Despite the demanding staging, the performers manage to give each other space, to absorb and pass on impulses. […] In the end, laughter, of all things, becomes the ultimate remedy against violence, dogmatism and the burden of history. Four days earlier, in the foyer, the question had remained open as to which constellation SUNVILLE would draw amongst all its widely scattered points. After the premiere, it is precisely what remains free between these lines that seems most interesting.”
Der Tagesspiegel/Johannes Furtwängler

“An uncommonly bold and musically razor-sharp opening for the Tischlerei under its new direction.”
Rondomagazin.de

“Sunville pushes boundaries—formally, spatially, and aesthetically.”
Berliner Morgenpost

“Weaving through myths, conflicting narratives, and time jumps, the director crafts a shifting, shapeshifting world where the sea of balls evokes danger and chaos one minute, and transforms into a playground for connections the next.”
Radio France Internationale

“In the end, it is laughter, of all things, that becomes the ultimate remedy against violence, dogmatism, and the burden of history.”
Der Tagesspiegel

“a vocal triangle of experimental joy, archaic depth, and radiant heights.”
Rondomagazin.de

“a surreal caleidoscope.”
Berliner Morgenpost