Neuköllner Oper- Selemo

Back into the light, to beauty, and into life! Spring represents the power of transformation, rebirth, and an age-old promise of prosperity. What can this vision of abundance mean for us culturally, spiritually, and sonically, transcending geographical boundaries? South African composers and performers S'busiso Shozi and Nhlanhla Mahlangu from the Johannesburg Centre for the Less Good Idea explore the concept of spring anew through body, sound, and voice in their chamber opera Selemo .

Together with orchestral musicians from the Komische Oper Berlin, they engage in a musical conversation about returning to a deeply rooted understanding of nature beyond the colonial calendar system. African rites of passage meet Baroque splendor, Vivaldi's Violin Concerto La primavera meets Amahubo, the ritual music of the Zulu. The world premiere of Selemo, a co-production with the Neuköllner Oper, is all about new beginnings, exchange, and shared celebration.