Step into a dark room where the senses are activated, and the unsaid is given a voice. We listen, feel, and attempt to understand what lies hidden in the shadows as well as in the light. Here in the silence, we are challenged to open ourselves to the unknown—both within ourselves and in existence.

In this first Danish staging, Scenatet shines a light on the significant work Lohengrin from 1984, created by Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino. The piece breaks away from Richard Wagner’s classic narrative and delves into the surreal and parodic universe of French poet Jules Laforgue. It explores a relationship between a man and a woman: a rescue mission with an unwritten condition that the woman must never inquire about the man’s identity. This blind encounter is both terrifying and alluring, a dynamic between light and dark, wisdom and madness. In this tale, the focus is not on the plot but on the inner struggle of the woman, Elsa, who longs for love and closeness from her Lohengrin. However, he does not provide her with the feelings she seeks, leading to an internal conflict where the unfulfilled intensifies her experience of the world—a world driven by illusions.

Scenatet approaches Sciarrino’s work as a journey through emotions and transformations of the mind. The music contains a spectrum of emotions that transcend cultural categories of sadness and happiness. Instead, we enter a new world that resonates with equal parts past and future—a place that feels both foreign and natural—where we float weightlessly, embraced by pure existence. It is a place where our intellect is paused, and we listen, perceive, and understand. The music abstractly unfolds a story that we—without being able to explain it—recognize, because it inquiries into all that is unsaid. With each note, we come closer to Elsa’s longings, memories, dreams, or hallucinations. Everything flows together, eccentric caricatures shape into simple melodies and subtle poetry, while the themes of illusion and reality, reason and emotion constantly collide.

Salvatore Sciarrino & Scenatet

Salvatore Sciarrino (1947) is known for his innovative approach to music and his ability to explore the boundaries of sound and silence. Sciarrino has a particular interest in timbre and texture, and his works often include unusual instrumental techniques and experimental compositions. In his work, there is not only a focus on melody and rhythm but also on how sounds can be shaped and transformed to create a unique listening experience. Sciarrino’s experimental approach to composition often challenges the conventional frameworks of music, making his works both innovative and thought-provoking. His pieces often contain a poetic and meditative element, and he has a special ability to create atmospheres and moods through his music.

In Scenatet’s staging of Lohengrin, his score, originally written for sixteen musicians and choir, is reinterpreted and performed by five live soloists and a complex sound design. This creates an atmosphere where live and recorded music intertwines, providing the audience with an experience of an invisible orchestra that is carefully crafted rather than physically present.

“In a wondrous way, the infinitely dark space was filled with bright tones that created a vibrant darkness, a universe based on a sensory experience beyond the ordinary – Scenatet’s LOHENGRIN is a bold performance that demands its audience to relinquish our familiar world of understanding and explanation – for understanding is not always a matter of words.”


Read more

Soloist: Signe Asmussen
Performers: Scenatet v. Katrine Grarup Elbo, Kasia Ziminska,
Vicky Wright og Johanna Zetterqvist
Concept, Stage Director, Scenography: Anna Berit Asp Christensen
Sound Designer: Daniel Fogh
Kostyme Designer: Ylva Falk
Light Design: Vertigo
Rehearsal conductor: James Sherlock
Production Manager: Anna Borzak

The Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Fonden, 15. Juni Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fonds, Sonning Fonden and William Demant Fonden.