The Two Sisters – electroacoustic chamber opera
‘The Two Sisters’ is a 25-minute electro-acoustic chamber opera based on the story from the Danish folk ballad ‘The Two Sisters.’ It is written for two singers, a cellist, and a contemporary dancer.
Stylistically, this is a blend of Western art music, Nordic folk, and electronically manipulated acoustic sound — a true reflection of composer Ea Wims musical upbringing.
Plot
When the elder sister gets engaged, the younger sister becomes consumed by jealousy and attempts to kill her. In self-defence, the elder sister kills the younger one. Guilt eats away at the elder sister, and her wedding ends up being haunted by her deceased sister, who manifests in the wedding musician’s violin.
Why is this opera relevant for our time?
Many young people have a weak connection to our cultural heritage, leading to a great lack of identity. They base their identity on passing trends and have no grounding in their sense of self. Therefore, it is important to make our cultural heritage relevant to them, both when it comes to classical music, as well as the history of folktales. Telling folktales is a living tradition. “The two sisters” has travelled far around Europe, and changed a bit every time it was passed on, because you change it to your meaning
and understanding. We need to keep this tradition alive because the morals of these stories are as relevant as ever. The moral of the two sisters is placing too many expectations on children is destructive, but it is something we humans keep on doing. Why is that?
People involved:
● The younger sister, soprano Julia Bielefeld
● The older sister, Soprano, Sofia Schmidt
● The Wedding musician, Contemporary dancer, Felix Sieben
● Cellist, Anna Helander
●Composer, Ea Wim
The two sisters is being performed in collaboration with Århus Unge Tonekunstnerer, in on the occasion of their 60th aniversery.
About Ea Wim
Ea Wim (b. 1999) is a Danish composer, lyricist, and singer. They explore identity formation and community-building among young people by recontextualising Danish cultural heritage through new compositional music. Inspired by their upbringing in the folk music scene and historical reenactment, they create immersive performances and operatic works. Their award-winning music and sold-out events have gained international recognition and attracted a strong online audience.
PROGRAM
A small selection of works presented by the performers (25 min)
- Sofia Schmidt and Felix Sieben – Ether:Sequence.
- Julia Bieldefeldt, Sofia Schmidt & Anna Helander – songs by Francesca Caccini for voice and cello
- Sofia Schmidt, Julia Bieldefeldt & Anna Helander – the folk song De To Søstre
Break (10 min)
The Two Sisters (25 min)
Break (10 min)
AUT Artist Talk with Ea (15 min)
The concert is free, and you can just show up without a ticket. Please come early.