Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen

Fantasy Opera in nine scenes
in German language with German surtitles
libretto by Maurice Sendak

Austrian premiere: 16 December 2023

Wiener Symphoniker
Conductor: Stephan Zilias
Production: Nikolaus Habjan

Who has never dreamed of having thrilling adventures in a faraway fantasy world? Our second opera for families at Christmas allows you to do just that. In Oliver Knussen’s Wo die wilden Kerle wohnen we have a work on the programme this year that has been enthralling young & all ever since it was first performed back in 1980.
It is based on the bestseller by Maurice Sendak – a picture book that tells a story with virtually no text at all. The young boy Max has quarrelled with his mother. But instead of staying in his room as he has been told, he sets off on a voyage to a distant island... To turn his story into an opera libretto, Sendak let his imagination run riot, inventing, for instance, a new language for the Wild Things that Max meets on the island.
This inspired Oliver Knussen to what is probably his most adventurous music: It whistles, squeaks, sparkles, shines, entices and dances with a lightness that delights. Knussen took the music that had influenced him in his youth as a guide. To stage this explosion of ideas, we have invited director and puppet virtuoso Nikolaus Habjan.

Family opera for young & all from 6 years