This opera was an interesting one. I am semi-familiar with Matthias Pintscher's music, and I wanted to see what an opera of his might be like. It was worth it.
The opera is structured as a continuous flow of 12 "Tableaux" without an interval, lasting approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. Loosely adapted from Wilhelm Hauff’s 19th-century fairy tale, the opera strips away the original’s Biedermeier moralism to focus on Peter’s existential trade: his living, feeling heart for one made of stone, rendering him incapable of pain—but also of love. And later on, as I read what the original fairy tale was about, I realised that much of the complexities in the story were taken away, and somehow, certain characters have been inserted, that used to not be there. In any case, the stone heart motif is still there.
The music is driven by a rather large ensemble, with a particularly massive percussion section. And while it's not very sonically massive and visceral, I still found myself liking this piece. Somehow it reminds me of George Benjamin's and Kaija Saariaho's music. Pintscher’s fascination with "glittering" orchestral textures and dramatic vocal writing is very much in that same lineage. I also enjoy music with a strong "physical" presence. The heavy percussion and "groaning" forest textures in this opera provide that visceral experience.
Overall, I enjoyed it. The opera is not for everyone, however. Quite a few people walked out. I suppose they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. But then again, that is typically what happens with contemporary classical music anyway, I am more or less used to it.
