The Anatomy

Synopsis

"The Anatomy" is an opera about pain. The pain of love, the pain of searching for truth, the pain of faith, the pain of parents, the pain of lying, the pain of muted communication - and the excruciating pain in the soul of a person without the ability to sense pains of the body.

In essence an opera about the worship and the dread of pain that has made western culture a continuos theatre of pain.

The story takes place sometime in the renaissance when the dissection of corpses in what was called "anatomic theatres" was a public thrill.

The Conductor is playing the part of an Anatomist opening the opera with a monologue about the necessity of cutting to the bone to find truth.
The main character is a former Doctor who is now travelling with a Passion-show, starring his mute son as Christ, and his blind wife as Virgin Mary singing a strange Stabat Mater.

A young woman who sees the show, is infatuated by the ability of the young man to stand pain, and believes that he is a saint. But when she realizes that he does not endure pain due to sanctity, but because his father has robbed him of the ability to sense pain, she sees it as her calling to save the young man.

During that quest a lot of pain is produced - when secrets are revealed, when loved ones are rejected, when truth is approached - and in the end the Doctor must revolt against the Anatomist/Conductor who has forced all this to take place. But in vain - the Anatomist/Conductor sends him to the stake, and the opera can have its painful and cathartic finale as the audience desires....



Reviews

"Rarely has one experienced a first performance of a danish opera where music and words, stage and performance to that extent forms a whole of outer and inner music-theatre. The idea is Sanne Bjergs. Her text has the concentration to secure the dramatic idea as well as our attention".

John Christiansen, Jyllands Posten 25/4 1998 (one of the three major danish papers)


“Lars Klit and Sanne Bjerg are continuing their succes with their new opera ”The Anatomy”. ... have taken a new step towards the realisation of their common goal, which seems to be the creation of a modern and meaningful music-theatre, that is a continuation and development of the means and appeal of the traditional opera”.

Jens Brincker, Berlingske Tidende 28/4 1998 (one of the three major danish papers)


“Als gegen Ende das Blut unter des Doktors sezierendem Messer spritzt, haben Bjerg, Klit und Kasper Holten das Publikum in genau jene Voyeur-Situation gebracht, die das Stück anprangert. Doppeltes Spiel, faszinierend umgesetzt: ein sublim intellektualisierter Schocker”.

Gerhard Persché, Opernwelt, July 1998

Photos from the performance at Den Jyske Opera, September 1999