In June, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin stages Salvatore Sciarrino's Lohengrin and Macbeth. Both music theatre works will be presented within the framework of the festival "Infektion". Jürgen Flimm, the opera's Intendant, is the stage director of Macbeth. Find out more in this interview.

You started your career as an actor and theater director. What was your first experience with contemporary opera? To which of your contemporary opera productions do you enjoy remembering the most?
The German Premiere of Luigi Nono’s Al gran sole in Frankfurt. Al gran sole, and again and again Al gran sole…

Modern music is not well represented in some opera houses. In your opinion, what is the best way for an opera house to present contemporary music? 
Just put contemporary music on the program.

Which advice would you give to a young composer that is writing a music theatre piece?
Do not use an enigmatic story while always retaining a high compositional level.

In June, Sciarrino’s Macbeth and Lohengrin will be performed within the framework of Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s festival “Infektion”. Please tell us more about the festival. What is the concept?
To present contemporary music theatre to a big and diverse audience. Our goal is to show the broadest possible spectrum of different concepts and composers.

Why does it take place at the end of the season? 
The reasons were mainly due to scheduling. Also, there are no other festivals for contemporary music in Berlin during that time.

What are your plans for the upcoming seasons of the festival?
In the next season, we are going to take a closer look at FLUXUS. We would like to explore this genre’s influence on the music theatre of our time.

You are going to be the stage director of Sciarrino’s Macbeth. Why did you choose this piece? 
I have been admiring Sciarrino’s music for many years. Macbeth is one of the most important plays by Shakespeare; and here Sciarrino competes with Verdi. To me, his Macbeth is more interesting than Verdi’s.

What does Sciarrino’s music mean to you?
Salavatore is a close friend of mine and I admire him as an artist.

All five performances of Macbeth are already sold out, which is not self-evident for contemporary opera. How do you explain this success?
Yes, this is astonishing. It shows that the audience is much more open and curious than one might think.

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden just announced the 2014/2015 season. Please tell us more about this. To what are you particularly looking forward to?
What I like is that we have been continuously working with the same stage directors for several seasons. Moreover, that a large part of the works comes from the 20th century – and that most productions were created in the Schiller Theater.

Sciarrino: work list