Abstract
«One summer morning, a little tailor sat at his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might». So begins the tale of the valiant little tailor – but this story isn’t really a story about sewing clothing. When a swarm of flies makes for his delicious marmalade sandwich, the little tailor strikes and takes down one, two, three, four, five, six – seven at one blow! The tailor proudly stitches his feat on a large belt and sets off to tell the world of his accomplishment. Exhausted by his journey, he falls asleep in a garden, where he is soon discovered by the daughter of the king. She believes she’s found a famed hero and decides to marry him immediately. But before the king will give his blessing, the little tailor has to prove his mettle. With cunning and wit, he faces and roundly defeats a beastly wild boar, a smug unicorn, and even a dangerous giant. On the night of their wedding, the little tailor – fast asleep – starts talking about sewing. The king’s daughter quickly realizes the man she’s married isn’t a hero after all! What now? Austrian composer Wolfgang Mitterer wrote this «little opera» based on the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm in 2007, and it was an instant hit. In it, he created a unique, touching, and seductive soundscape for singers, electronics, and bass.
Young German director Kai Anne Schuhmacher, the 2019 recipient of the Götz-Friedrich-Studiopreis, will direct this opera for children in the Studiobühne. For the production, she’s developed her own technique, together with the Opernhaus Zürich workshops: imaginative puppets meant to accompany the individual fairytale characters will be brought to life by the singers.