Premiere - Semperoper bids farewell to artistic director: divided response
In the program for the performance, Horáková also addressed the question of which contemporary artists have the format of Cellini, who gained fame mainly through his bronze sculpture "Perseus with the Medusa." The director sees Tech-Billionaire Elon Musk as a Cellini of today. The artworks that Cellini created were something bigger than the lives of people in that time. "And the goals that Musk pursues have this claim: to create an overdimensional level, which will certainly change us." In the piece, she wants to show that AI can be used and maybe even needs to be, but at the same time, she wants to poke fun a little, as AI cannot replace humans. The audience experienced a true image flood, which included videos and technical effects as well.
Before the premiere, Swiss Peter Theiler was bid farewell as the Intendant of the Saxon State Opera. Musicians of the State Orchestra played in the foyer of the Opera House the Overture to Rossini's "William Tell," the only work from Theiler's six-year tenure in Dresden that could not be implemented due to the Corona-Pandemic. Saxony's Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch (CDU) used a quote from "William Tell" in her farewell speech: "Too tightly strung, the bow breaks." With his "Swiss sense of finesse," Theiler never overstrung the bow in leading this house, but always kept it correctly adjusted. "You have continued the tradition, but at the same time, you have always rekindled the fire of the new and experimental."
Theiler thanked all departments and trades of the Saxon State Opera. It is a great honor to lead this house, he said, and wished his successor and compatriot Nora Schmid all the best for the position. To Theiler's record, there belong over 1500 performances, among them 44 opera and nine ballet new productions. Three operas were commissioned as premières of the Semperoper in Dresden, as well as five ballets.
Semperoper
The piece by Horáková at the Semperoper aims to explore how AI can be utilized and potentially needs to be, while also poking fun at its limitations, as it cannot fully replace human creativity. Elon Musk, the tech-billionaire, is seen by the director as a modern-day Cellini, an artist whose ambitions aim to create an overdimensional impact. The premiere of "William Tell" at the Semperoper featured the State Orchestra playing the overture in honor of departing Intendant Peter Theiler, who developed a Swiss sense of finesse in leading the opera house, never overstraining but always keeping the tradition alive while igniting the fire of the new and experimental.
