This weekend, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre (LNOBT) opens its new season with an extraordinary world premiere. Žibuoklė Martinaitytė and Robert Wilson’s opera Upside Down (Apversta tikrovė) steps onto the stage, inviting audiences on a special spiritual journey.
"A world premiere is being born right before our eyes. On one hand, it carries an extraordinary responsibility and obligation; on the other, it brings immense joy, as a new national work comes to life. One of LNOBT's core missions is precisely to pave the way for the creation of such works.
When speaking about the beginnings of Upside Down, I vividly recall the first meeting between Žibuoklė Martinaitytė and Robert Wilson at our theatre. It lasted a long time – it was the spark for generating shared ideas. That meeting was the first, but certainly not the only one. The director returned later with his entire creative team to present a structural vision for the upcoming opera.
When the unexpected news of R. Wilson's passing arrived in the summer of 2025, we had to decide how to move forward. Were there still ways for this opera to see the light of day? Who could take on such a monumental responsibility? That is why I am deeply grateful to composer Ž. Martinaitytė, who found the courage within herself to keep going, to Maestro Modestas Pitrėnas, who was by the opera's side from its very first musical moments helping shape its sound, and to the entire, resolute creative team," – states LNOBT General Director Laima Vilimienė.
An Opera Emerged from the Mist
Composer Ž. Martinaitytė emphasizes that she had no prior experience with visual stage adaptations of her music, making it fascinating to watch something far more concrete emerge on stage from abstract music.
"The story of the main character, the Traveler, really came together on stage – there was far less of it in the score. Director R. Wilson had suggested a domestic scene with touches of humour, even though finding humour in my previous music would be quite a challenge. Overall, during the seven weeks of opera rehearsals, I felt as though I was trapped in a prison of my own musical world, one I couldn't escape day or night," – shares the composer of Upside Down.
Music Director and Conductor M. Pitrėnas admits it took time to settle into the new opera's music: "When you open an unfamiliar score, you hear sounds and picture images. Here, what I saw first was mist, or perhaps a haze. It took time to hear this music clearly, because Ž. Martinaitytė writes not only with pitch and duration, but also composes tensions and creates a specific “sound temperature”. This is music you must listen to deeply, feel, and live through – classical opera tradition offers little help here. Over time, together with all the performers, we grasped how this music breathes, and then the opera, as a unified musical organism, began to breathe through its own powerful lungs."
Every Journey Will Be Unique
Director Nicola Panzer, who stepped in to helm the production, previously worked alongside R. Wilson on various productions for 38 years. Unsurprisingly, audiences will inevitably spot details in this performance that recall Wilson’s earlier works.
"However, Upside Down does not follow the traditional narrative structure many of us are used to. The audience journeys along with the main character through external and internal paths alike. Furthermore, every viewer's journey will be unique, bringing up different experiences from their past – perhaps even things they would rather not recall. Each scene in the opera acts like a world of its own, so when coming to Upside Down, one should try to remain as open as possible," – invites director N. Panzer.
The production of Upside Down was created alongside set designer Stephanie Engeln, costume designer Sarah Mittenbühler, lighting designer Marcello Lumaca, hair and makeup designer Manu Halligan, video projection designer Robert Pflanz, choreographer Alexis Fousekis, and dramaturg Konrad Kuhn.
Upside Down begins its journey on the LNOBT stage on the evening of 18 September.
