2025 DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN, DUISBURG (DE)
The Lighthouse
Peter Maxwell Davies’ opera The Lighthouse, about the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers, directed by Haitham Assem Tantawy, was visually set in the nightmarish, abstract world of a deconstructed tower by set designer Matthias Kronfuß. It premiered in February 2025 at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg, Germany.
Video artist Manuela Hartel created strong imagery for the stage, taking the overall visual expression of this piece an affirmative step further. She developed the video design from concept to final projection, directing the video shoot and handling camera work, editing, montage, and video layering in postproduction. Her deliberately unsettling video sequences quite literally get under the audience’s skin. Combined with evocative lighting effects, the production immerses viewers almost eerily into the unfolding mystery, deepening both the atmosphere and the psychological tension of the performance.
Videostills
Discover excerpts from the films created for this haunting and thought-provoking opera.
Credits
Killian Farrell – Musical Direction
Haitham Assem Tantawy – Stage Direction
Matthias Kronfuß – Set and Costume Design
Manuela Hartel – Video
Yoav Bosidan – Choreography
Thomas Diek – Lighting
Juliane Schunke – Dramaturgy
Matthias Kronfuß / Anne Orthen – Foto
Press
“Videos (Manuela Hartel) intermittently depict nightmare sequences, where violence and desire overlap in artificial scenes. … A stark contrast to the bleak everyday life of the imprisoned, a visualization of the darkly blazing music.” – Frankfurter Rundschau
“The directing team led by Haitham Assem Tantawy immerses the audience almost eerily into the story with impressive video projections by Manuela Hartel and creates quite unsettling moments through striking lighting effects.” – online musik magazine
“…the deliberately unsettling video sequences by Manuela Hartel, which—especially between the prologue and the main act—literally send chills down your spine…” – Klassik.com
