Curiosity

A joint project of the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre and producer Maxim Shostakovich. Supported by the Center for Electroacoustic Music of the Moscow State Conservatory (SEAMMS) and the Union of Composers of Russia.

Curiosity, a multimedia opera by composer Nikolai Popov, was inspired by the Twitter account of the rover that has been carrying out its mission on the surface of the red planet of Mars for years. Millions of inhabitants of Earth watch operators communicate with the vehicle using a programming language. This language forms the basis for the musical dramaturgy of the opera. The composer, playwright and director created an opera about a rover. They seek to escape from everyday reality into an invented world, while simultaneously exploring the question “what is CONTEMPORARY OPERA today.”

The Curiosity Mars rover moves slowly across a distant planet: Mars is cold, windy and calm. At the same time, the Earth is shaken by catastrophes, wars and epidemics. Despite all efforts to the contrary, reality inserts itself into the opera, destroying the creators' dreams of pure art. Paradoxically, distant space and earthly life begin to connect in the opera. Fleeing from fears and loneliness, a person becomes fascinated watching a machine.

The opera was developed within the framework of the KoOPERAtsia Laboratory.

Video scenography created by the Curiosity Media Lab (Yevgeny Afonin, Jan Kalnberzin).