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In virtue of…

United Nations OfficePalace of Nations Av. de la Paix 8-14, Genève, Geneva, 1211, Suisse
Dates/horaires selon le fuseau horaire de Zurich
samedi 14 mars 202619:30
dimanche 15 mars 202615:00
Programme
Birman, Eugene (n. 1987)In virtue of… (Swiss premiere)Livret de Stéphane Ghislain Roussel, based on the European Convention on Human Rights
Ullmann, Viktor (1898-1944)L'empereur d'Atlantis ou Le Refus de la mort (Der Kaiser von Atlantis)
Artistes
Grand Théâtre de Genève
Marc HajjarDirection
Stéphane Ghislain RousselMise en scène
Peggy WurthDécors, Costumes
Jean-Pierre MichelLumières
Ensemble Contrechamps
Sandra PocceschiDramaturgie
Emma LandarrabilcoFlûte
Andreas MaderSaxophone
Max MausenClarinette
Michel de SouzaBarytonEmperor Overall
Julien SégolBasseDeath
Benjamin AlunniBarytonHarlequin
Alexander GebhardTénorSoldier
Sheva TehovalSopranoBubikopf
Raphaële GreenMezzo-sopranoDrummer
Jean-Christophe FillolBarytonLoudspeaker

The performance opens at the UN, followed by a transfer / intermission to proceed at the Comédie de Genève

With The Emperor of Atlantis preceded by In Virtue of…, Belgian-Luxembourg director Stéphane Ghislain Roussel presents an involved opera diptych representing a veritable voyage through time and space. Two strikingly topical plays, set in two of Geneva’s international and cultural centres, offering an evening of historical and political reflection.

As the first part, young composer Eugen Birman’s In Virtue of… will echo around the Assembly Hall of the UN Palais des Nations – the ideal setting for this work for baritone,

instrumental ensemble and live electronics which questions the meaning of the European Convention on Human Rights in light of the rise of extremism around the world.

Then it’s on to the Comédie de Genève for the second part, Viktor Ullman’s chamber opera The Emperor of Atlantis, composed in 1943 at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The Emperor Overall, who declares war against everyone and in doing so provokes Death into going on strike, is performed by Michel de Souza – the soloist who speaks in the first part – as if he were the same character, displaced in time. And thus the diptych makes full sense: are there only a few steps between the turmoil of democracy and the drift towards authoritarianism?

Tickets from CHF 20.-

© GTG / Joëlle Flumet
© GTG / Joëlle Flumet
An end to death: Viktor Ullmann’s The Emperor of Atlantis
mars 2026
lun.mar.mer.jeu.ven.sam.dim.
23242526272801
02030405060708
09101112131415
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