Great game of good and evil, life and death
Nico and The Navigators impress in Berlin with "Empathy for the Devil".
Berlin/MZ - Impressive emotional cinema at Radialsystem Berlin. On Thursday evening, "Empathy for the Devil" by Nico and the Navigators celebrated its premiere in the house that provides space for ambitious productions of the independent scene. Finally. Actually, their new work was supposed to be performed at the Konzerthaus am Gedarmenmarkt - with a large orchestra. But due to corona, nothing came of it. Now there is a chamber version whose power and intimacy keep you in suspense for over 90 minutes.
Founded in 1998 at the Bauhaus Dessau by Nicola Hümpel and Oliver Proske and still led today, the Navigators have long since gained great recognition. The format is called "Staged Concert", which, however, rather soberly describes the sensual opulence and fascinating variety of what is offered.
Like earlier productions by the Berlin-based troupe, "Empathy for the Devil" is a breathtaking mixture of opera, concert, drama and dance. In short - a unique musical theatre created by Nicola (Nico) Hümpel, the artistic director, Oliver Proske, who is responsible for stage and technology, the dramaturge Andreas Hillger and the whole, fantastic ensemble.
Thematically, the evening revolves around good and evil, life and death. What if the omnipresence of the dark is interpreted as a free pass for one's own actions? Wouldn't good, on the other hand, lack specialness if evil did not exist at all? And, finally, doesn't the Lord of Darkness also possess charm? Don't we ourselves like to wear a rigid "poker face"?
"Sympathy for the Devil" by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, here in the German version by Udo Lindenberg, tells of this dichotomy of human existence and provides the intellectual background for the Navigators' theatrical ethical debate.
They conduct this debate with the help of their own texts and quote Shakespeare, accompanied by music from Handel to Weber, Bartók to Purcell. It begins with David Bowie's haunting "The Man who sold the World", Ted Schmitz, a tenor who can play all registers, gives his part just as magnificently as Anna-Doris Capitelli gives hers. When the mezzo-soprano delivers seemingly feather-light coloratura, it is easy to understand why she was brought to La Scala in Milan. Much applause at the end for all, especially for Florian Graul's dancing, Nikolay Borchev's voice and Martin Clausen's strong playing.
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