Biel and Solothurn replace "Mazeppa"
The Board of Trustees and TOBS (Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn) management have decided to replace the opera "Mazeppa" with the peace concert "Verdi per la pace" until further notice.
Portraying war and misery on stage is always difficult, writes TOBS. When this war and this misery are now portrayed on the opera stage, as in the case of Mazeppa"when reality catches up with us and people die every day in Ukraine - where the opera is set - it becomes an impossible undertaking".
In Mazeppa is not only about a tragic love affair, but also about a war of independence between what was then Tsarist Russia and Ukraine, which dates back to the 17th century. The Board of Trustees and the management of TOBS therefore "agreed that the fiction in the play cannot be separated from the bitter reality in Ukraine".
The temporary cancellation of the play has nothing to do with the fact that it is sung in Russian or that Russian artists are on stage. It is about the war of that time, which is too close to the war of today. The harrowing war in Ukraine "does not mean that we are no longer performing Russian plays or engaging artists from this cultural sphere".
Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn attaches great importance to the fact that the entire Mazeppa-team will be included in the replacement program and perform in their homes.
More info: www.tobs.ch
