Bluebeard's Castle

The mysterious Duke Bluebeard welcomes his new bride Judith into his ominous castle, where rumors have been swirling concerning one question: what happened to his previous three wives? Shrouded in the secrecy of seven forbidden rooms, Judith desperately tries to uncover the terrifying secrets that Bluebeard had hoped to keep locked away forever. With its immense, cinematic score, Bartók’s psychological opera-thriller will leave you entranced as Judith reveals, door-by-door, Bluebeard’s dark past.

Our new production features bass-baritone Christian Van Horn making his DMMO and role debut as Duke Bluebeard and soprano Sara Gartland as Judith, with direction by Kristine McIntyre, video design by internationally acclaimed artist and Des Moines resident, Oyoram (Yorame Mevorach), and Maestro David Neely leading the DMMO Festival Orchestra.

MUSIC BY
Béla Bartók

LIBRETTO BY
Béla Balázs

BASED ON
Barbe bleue by Charles Perrault

PREMIERED
24 May 1918
Hungarian Royal Opera House, Budapest

SUNG IN
Hungarian (with English subtitles)

ESTIMATED RUN TIME
60 minutes

COMPANY PREMIERE

The Artists

Christian Van Horn Duke Bluebeard

Sara Gartland Judith

David Neely Conductor

Kristine McIntyre Director

Oyoram Digital Image Composer

Luke Cantarella Scenic Designer

Kaye Voyce Costume Designer

Kate Ashton Lighting Designer

Lisa Thurrell Choreographer

The Music

Béla Bartók began performing at the age of 11. His first compositions revealed the influence of Liszt, Brahms and Strauss, but most of his inspiration came from exploring national folk music. This included Hungarian folk but also other ethnic rhythms that he discovered while travelling through his native Transylvania. His hometown is now part of Romania. Using folk elements and traditional techniques, Bartók achieved an original modern style that has had a great impact on 20th-century music.