William Kentridge: SIBYL

Wiener Festwochen

The prophetess Sibyl writes people’s fates down on oak leaves and places them on a heap of leaves at the entrance to her cave dwelling. But then the wind picks up and everything is swirled into a muddle. All control over the prophecies is lost. Or has the desire for foreseeability always been in vain? This ancient myth was the inspiration for the two-part musical evening "Sibyl" by South African artist William Kentridge and his team. Preluded by a 20-minute film that takes us into Kentridge’s private animation studio to the musical accompaniment on stage, the subsequent chamber opera "Waiting for the Sibyl" retells the prophecies of the priestess. Sayings and poems have been translated into four Bantu languages. For their singing and stage play, the nine singers and dancers draw on local mythologies and storytelling traditions. Together with the large-scale projections and shadow plays on the hand-painted backdrop, they create a meditation on how life and fate are connected.