Il Combattimento

Soprano Anna Prohaska and tenor Ian Bostridge are the guides through this labyrinth of true and false memories, in which identity and boundaries blur and continually shift. Two dancers accompany the singers in their search for a fitting ending to their story. The story of two lovers also touches on themes such as polarisation, the many facets of identity, and the subconscious.

The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century performs Monteverdi's Combattimento as the musical core of this programme, under the direction of Richard Egarr. Around it, they perform works from the Italian Baroque by Monteverdi, Gesualdo and other composers. The orchestra also becomes part of the drama. In a production directed by Sommer Ulrickson, the result is a gripping performance about eternal questions such as love and guilt.