Fin De Partie

OPERA IN ONE ACT (2018)

MUSIC FROM György Kurtág

TEXT FROM Samuel Beckett

Endgame, game over. With four characters. Hamm and his servants Clov. Hamm’s parents Nagg and Nell. A play with rules, rituals, memories, and words. Words that are sung, which has only been rarely done with Samuel Beckett’s texts. György Kurtág’s opera Fin de partie is the only full-length setting of one of his plays.

The Hungarian composer was fascinated by Beckett’s Endgame, which premiered in Paris in 1957, for more than half a century. In 2010, at the age of 85, Kurtág began composing his very first opera, which premiered at Milan’s Scala in 2018. In his musical language, he relies closely on Beckett’s original French text, which he opens to a fascinating space of sound with his delicate instrumentation. Here, Beckett’s predilections for the circus, amusement parks, and clownery resonate, as Johannes Erath foregrounds in his production.

Synopsis

The setting is a house by the sea, where four people reside:

Hamm, an elderly gentleman confined to a wheelchair

Clov, servant to Hamm, who cannot sit down

Nagg and Nell, Hamm's very old parents, each trapped in a dustbin, without legs

The tensions between the four characters exasperate each of them:

Hamm cannot abide his parents and their chatter.

Nell can barely tolerate Nagg.

Clov regards the others wearily.

All four wait for an end to the inertia and claustrophobia of their situation.

Prologue: Nell is the first character to appear, and delivers the setting of 'Roundelay' to begin the opera. Her words hazily allude to memories, with the sound of footsteps as the only sound to be heard on the beach.

Clov's Pantomime: Clov and Hamm appear. Clov is troubled and uneasy on his legs. He makes repetitive gestures, the same gestures every day, during his domestic chores, interspersed with short, nervous laughter.

Clov's First Monologue: Clov speaks of the possibility that the current situation may come to some sort of end soon.

Hamm's First Monologue: by contrast, Hamm thinks about his and his parents' sufferings. With feelings of despondency and exhaustion, he claims that he cannot resolve the current circumstances.

Bin: Nagg and Nell, both severely handicapped, are tired out from their long-term bickering, and their mutual incomprehension. During their conversation, they recall the cycling accident in the Ardennes that caused them both to lose their legs. Memories also surface of a boat trip on Lake Como. These memories are their sole happy memories and, at least superficially, give them a little nostalgia for their life spent together. Yet, Hamm, who wants to sleep, finds his parents' chatter irritating, and orders Clov to throw the bins, including Nagg and Nell, into the sea. Nell dies in the meantime, apparently unnoticed by the others.

Novel: Hamm wants to tell Nagg a story. In past days, a father had come to him on Christmas Eve asking for bread for his son. Hamm had decided to take him on.

Nagg's Monologue: Nagg remembers when Hamm was young and needed him.

Hamm's Penultimate Monologue: Hamm ponders his difficult relations with others.

Hamm and Clov's Dialogue: Hamm asks Clov for his tranquilliser. Clov replies that no tranquillisers are left.

"It's over, Clov" and Clov's Vaudeville: Hamm tells Clov that he no longer needs him, but then asks Clov to say something that he may remember before departing. Clov remarks that Hamm had never spoken to him until that moment. Only now, as he is about to leave, does Hamm pay any notice of him.

Clov's Last Monologue: Clov reflects on his condition. He has never understood what words like 'love' and 'friendship' mean. He also feels old, tired, and unable to form new habits. He is bound to his repetitive, never-changing daily routine.

Transition to the Finale: Hamm thanks Clov as Clov is about to leave.

Hamm's Last Monologue: Clov is about to leave, but has not yet moved. Hamm realises that he has been left alone.

Epilogue: Hamm grasps that it is now up to him – and him alone – to continue playing the endgame.

Program and cast

Language: In French language with German and English surtitles

Recommended age: 16 years and older

Insight before the premiere on 7th january 2025

CAST

MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Alexander Soddy

DIRECTOR: Johannes Erath

SET DESIGN: Kaspar Glarner

COSTUMES: Birgit Wentsch

VIDEO: Bibi Abel

LIGHT: Olaf Freese

DRAMATURGY: Olaf A. Schmitt

NAGG: Stephan Rügamer

NELL: Dalia Schaechter

HAMM: Laurent Naouri

CLOV: Bo Skovhus

STAATSKAPELLE BERLIN