In the Penal Colony – Sydney Chamber Opera

Overview

There has been much literature written about the moral dilemma of being a bystander, but one of the most powerful is undoubtedly Franz Kafka's 1914 short story In the Penal Colony.

Kafka's original story concerns three men — The Officer, The Visitor and The Condemned — one island, and one elaborate torture and execution device. Immediately it is evident that this dilemma is on a scale far more severe than quietly witnessing someone about to drop their meatball sub all over the pavement, and indeed the story is harrowing in its exploration of the point at which The Visitor's failure to intervene becomes immoral.

This is the story that cult composer Philip Glass set to music in 2000. But Glass, often labelled as a 'minimalist' for his unique brand of classical music with hypnotically repetitive structures, hasn't met the challenge of interpreting Kafka's story with melodramatic crescendos evocative of impending bloodshed; instead, it is the almost claustrophobic intimacy of the music that makes his score so intense, featuring just one string quartet plus a double bass for added sobriety.

The first Glass opera ever to be performed in Sydney, In the Penal Colony is definitely not your average night in the box.