Ketan Bhatti & Simon Solberg: The Odyssey

The Odyssey is probably the most famous heroic tale in world literature. It describes the adventurous ten-year journey home of the enterprising, cunning and eloquent war hero Ulysses. In a unique collaboration with Schauspiel Bonn and the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Beethovenfest Fellow Ketan Bhatti is composing a spoken opera based on this timeless tale – and, together with director Simon Solberg, is shedding new light on it.

Homer wrote down the oral tales of Odysseus. In his time, Greek royal families set out to conquer other countries and establish colonies in foreign lands. This determines his perspective: in the original text, the indigenous peoples of other lands are dangerous ›barbarians‹ and ›savages‹. Generally, divine power is responsible for the forces of nature and for the mistakes of the protagonists.

It is a truism that history is written by the victors. But was Ulysses really a hero? Or was he a warrior on a conquest, using violence and lies to secure his power? What would his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus think, waiting for him at home? And how would the people he fights on his journeys speak? Is Ulysses’ bloody revenge on the suitors on his return to Ithaca actually the rage of a war criminal suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? Doesn’t a more critical look at this supposed hero’s journey also open up a reflection on our image of man and society, where the saviour hero, the doer, the genius is still highly valued – whether in business, politics, sport or pop culture?

The team around Simon Solberg and Ketan Bhatti has chosen the musically-theatrical form of a spoken opera, a composition for actors and orchestra, in order to present the different perspectives of the Odyssey in a new way. Language and music are diametrically opposed – yet they unite in a dialogue. The analytical logos meets the lyrical myth. The ego battles with the soul. The mind with the heart. The head with the gut. The Odyssey is not just an adventure, but a journey into the inner self – to the questions that concern us all: Who am I? What am I fighting for? How do I value recognition, security and meaning in life? An evening that breaks with old images – and opens up new spaces.

A cooperation between the Theater Bonn and Beethovenfest Bonn, with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn in the Schauspielhaus Bad Godesberg

Ketan Bhatti is a Fellow in the Fellowship Programme of Beethovenfest Bonn, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North RhineWestphalia and the city of Bonn

An event as part of the Summer of Change Cultural Festival, an initiative of the Federal City of Bonn in cooperation with Bundeskunsthalle and about 30 other cultural partners. More information on bonn.de/summer-of-change