Andriessen: Theatre Of The World – Reinbert De Leeuw

   in Opera Now (Nov, 2017)
Dutch composer Andriessen has already tackled Plato (De Staat) and Dante (La Commedia) and now turns his attentions to the 17th-century German Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher; probable genius, possible charlatan and definite hieroglyphics expert who attempted to link knowledge to Christian theology, and whose all-embracing syncretism could be seen as a precursor to post-modernism. So far, so worthy. But what Andriessen has created is an explosion of fantasy and invention, remarkable for its wit, erudition, cultural reference and genuine laugh-loud-moments, displaying the sort of madness you can only create if you are incredibly sane. Nine scenes and an epilogue follow Kircher through travels and travails, accompanied by a spooky and unsettling boy …