Die Ersten Menschen – Adahm – Dutch National Opera

The first family torn between God and worldly pleasure

The first two humans on Earth fell in love. The third human murdered the fourth. Die ersten Menschen tells the story of the first family in the Biblical history of humanity, Adahm, Chawa and their two sons Kajin and Chabel. After performances in the midst of the COVID pandemic, which were highly praised by public and press alike, this ‘rediscovered’ work by Rudi Stephan is now returning to Dutch National Opera in all its glory.

“Let’s hope nothing happens to my brain, as there are still so many great things in it”, said Rudi Stephan to his mother as he left for the front during the First World War. Two weeks later he was killed. He did not live to see the world premiere of his first opera. In this work, heavily influenced by the psychoanalysis that was popular in the beginning of the twentieth century, erotic and incestuous urges take the place of divine love.

Family dinner

Director Calixto Bieito situates the primaeval conflict in a modern-day setting reminiscent of the family dinner in Luis Buñuel’s film The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. As the evening progresses, the underlying tensions can no longer be suppressed and the white tablecloths become increasingly besmirched. The intense, physical acting that Bieito gets out of his outstanding quartet of performers does true justice to this opera driven by primitive urges. This season’s production reunites the four singers from the previous performance run: soprano Annette Dasch, bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen, baritone Leigh Melrose and tenor John Osborn. The conductor Kwamé Ryan will be tackling Rudi Stephan’s lavish modernistic score for the first time, together with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra – with all the musicians on the stage.