Bluebeard's Castle
Judith arrives at the castle of Bluebeard, his fourth wife. Despite her husband's reluctance, she insists on letting light into every room. One by one, Judith opens the doors and discovers behind each the dark secrets of the man she loves…
With Bluebeard's Castle, Bartók broke with tradition and concentrated the drama into a single act lasting barely an hour. In this powerful and unsettling score, each door Judith opens reveals new worlds of sound, sometimes lush harmonies, sometimes disquieting dissonances. At Opera Zuid, Kenza Koutchoukali and Yannick Verweij dramatise the unease that hangs over the work and transform the castle into a modern flat, confronting us with both the couple's desire for intimacy and the unbridgeable emotional distance that separates them. Baritone Thomas Oliemans makes his debut in the role of the Duke, oscillating between intensity and vulnerability. Alongside him, mezzo-soprano Deirdre Angenent, who has already proved herself in the role of Judith, portrays a self-confident woman who, right up to the end, firmly believes in the power of her love. On stage alongside the soloists, the Philzuid Orchestra conducted by Duncan Ward acts as a third character, shedding light on what words cannot express. More than ever, the work asks us questions - what dark parts of our minds do we keep closed to our friends, our loves... to ourselves?
CAST
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Duke Bluebeard
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Thomas Oliemans
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Judith
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Deirdre Angenent
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Orchestra
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Philzuid Symphony Orchestra
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Music
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Béla Bartók
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Text
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Béla Balázs
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Conductor
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Duncan Ward
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Director
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Kenza Koutchoukali
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Sets, Costumes and Lights
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Yannick Verweij
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Dramaturgy
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Wout van Tongeren
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Assistant conductor
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Lochlan Brown
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Assistant director
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Joep Hupperetz
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VIDEOS
The story
Judith is fascinated by her new lover, Bluebeard, despite the terrifying rumors that circulate about him. When she first enters his cold, gloomy castle, she sees seven closed doors. Bluebeard warns Judith that some things are better left hidden. She is nonetheless determined to fully know him and bring light into the darkness. One by one, Judith opens the doors…
Behind the first door lies blood-stained torture instruments in a chamber of horrors. Behind the second door is an armory, also stained with blood. The third door conceals a treasure, rich with gold and magnificent, but bloodied jewels. Despite these terrifying discoveries, Judith insists on continuing, convinced that she can save Bluebeard by uncovering his soul and knowing everything about him.
The fourth door leads to a beautiful garden, a place of light beauty amidst the darkness. But even this garden is not untainted; the white roses turn red with blood. Behind the fifth door, Judith reveals a vast and overwhelming landscape, where the clouds cast a blood-red shadow over a fathomless abyss. Judith opens the sixth door and finds a lake of tears. The still, white water serves as a mirror for Bluebeard's sorrow and pain, hidden in the past.
Bluebeard begs her to stop and leave the last door closed but Judith’s willpower prevails, and she opens the seventh door. Here, Judith discovers Bluebeard's three former wives. They are alive yet trapped in eternal darkness. Reality dawns on Judith.
Bluebeard remains behind, trapped in his own secrets and unfathomable loneliness.
GALLERY
