For three videos, 18 musicians, and an unexpected theatrical intervention
Across three large screens – Russia, France, and Germany – The Followers of Ø present an operatic, polyphonic rendering of European history, from the dawn of time to the First World War.
In a drama filled with power, utopias, resistance, and «history as the Realization of Spirit», we encounter iconic figures such as Napoleon, Beethoven, Hegel, and Marx – alongside the fearsome «Einzelgänger».
Events take an unexpected turn when a group of mysterious anthropologists propel the story into our own time: History does not exist.
Oslo Sinfonietta, conducted by Christian Eggen, performs pseudo-symphonic intermezzi in neoclassical style, where the opera’s leitmotifs are further developed and the action continues on a subconscious and virtual level – towards spectacular, visionary, and revolutionary heights.
● Trond Reinholdtsen is the founder of The Norwegian Opra, a radically experimental platform blending opera, theory, performance, and satire. In the autumn of 2024, The Chosen Ones was presented at Black Box teater, in collaboration with Ultima as well. Earlier, in 2020, The Followers of Ø: “To arms! To arms!” – an affirmative Oratory by the Norwegian Opra was performed during the Oslo Internasjonale Teaterfestival.
In collaboration with Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival and Oslo Sinfonietta .
