Voice Killer: Fascination and horror at Vienna's new opera!

Voice Killer: Fascination and horror at Vienna's new opera!

Wien, Österreich - The opera "Voice Killer", an order work by Miroslav Srnka and Tom Holloway, celebrated a memorable premiere in Vienna on June 14, 2025, which was overlaid by difficult topics. The originally planned premiere celebration was canceled, and the host Stefan Herheim asked at the beginning to take a minute's silence to take the victims into account. This underlines the dark topic of the opera, which deals with the real crimes of soldiers Edward J. Leonski, who murdered three women in Australia in 1942. Leonski let the women sing for him, which was a painful memory of his mother for him.

"Voice Killer" begins noticeably, because for a long time no sound sounds on stage, while the orchestra uses only late and inconspicuous. The figures, including both soprano and the bass baritone Seth Carico, who plays the role of the murderer, initially silence. Srnka and Holloway give the victims a voice, which is underlined by the high vocal lines of the characters. This element leads to an atmospheric sound space that the sound forum creates, where music can be perceived as a multi -dimensional experience.

True crime elements and staging

Direction of Cordula Däuder brings dynamics to the staging, which is strongly shaped by true crime elements. In this way, displayed files and photos are used to illustrate the brutal reality of the crimes shown. The final picture addresses the difficulty of giving the victims a face and sets an urgent counterpoint to the fact that the murderer received the greatest applause at the end of the performance.

The characters of the opera are diverse and include Pauline, Ivy and Gladys, all of whom represent outstanding voices. The instrumentation includes both classic and unique instruments, such as blister packs and waterphones, which contributes to the tonal diversity of the piece. The locations are arranged inside and around a military camp and offer an eerie, dark frame for the events of the opera.

performance data and further details

After the premiere, further performances by the opera are on the program on the program on the 16th, 18th, 20th and 23rd. This work falls into a contemporary context that is strongly shaped by the fascination for true crimes in art. Similar to the ballet evening "True Crime", which recently celebrated its premiere in Duisburg and picks up various sensational topics, "Voice Killer" is also looking for ways that disclose and question the racist and misogynic structures of society.

The opera illuminates the voices of the victims in an urgently manner, even if the focus on them does not always successfully succeed. The sound space and the design features of "Voice Killer" show that dealing with the darkness of human nature is not only a challenge, but can also be interpreted as a powerful artistic statement.

For more information on the performers and the musical line-up, we refer to the respective websites of the composers and staging: [Kleine Zeitung reports on the premiere] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/kultur/19794946/voice--kien-in-beopfer-Oper Werke] (https://www.sra.cz/works/voicee-killer/) and Opera am Rhein offers an overview.