ERSAN MONDTAG
ANTIKRIST
DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN, BERLIN GERMANY
24 APRIL 2025
For Ersan Mondtag, Langgaard’s opera – filled with a dazzling frenzy of impending doom – feels like a parable for our time. His visually striking production explores themes like societal division, the growing rigidity of public debate, and the escalating climate crisis.
Despite its highly stylized imagery, Mondtag makes room for Langgaard’s vibrant and multifaceted music, much of which is purely orchestral. In Rob Fordeyn’s choreography, a group of dancers brings the music to life through powerful movement. Mondtag’s expressionist stage design draws inspiration from the art of ANTIKRIST’s era while also creating a surreal world where the laws of physics seem to no longer apply.
Set in a collapsing late-capitalist city, the production features a car falling from the sky, eerie demonic figures, and a society in chaos, turning against itself. Mondtag – who made his opera debut with ANTIKRIST in Berlin in 2022 – creates bold, unforgettable imagery that perfectly matches Langgaard’s apocalyptic vision.