Vito Žuraj: Blühen

Middle-aged Aurelia falls in love with Ken, the family’s English tutor young enough to be her son, who returns her affections. A further bond develops between them through their long period of mourning (ten years ago, Aurelia's husband died, and Ken lost his mother). Aurelia feels born again but just as her self-abandonment reaches its climax, is told that she's terminally ill and has only a few weeks left to live... 

In his 1953 novel, The Deceived Woman, Thomas Mann depicted a paradoxical situation wrapped up in an alarming dialectic of life and death. Librettist Händl Klaus and composer Vito Žuraj call their opera in seven scenes Blühen, intensifying the idea even further, focussing on the protagonist, Aurelia. Her relationship with her daughter Anna is even more ambivalent, with communication between the two women mirroring their own fears and insecurities. 

Commissioned by the Frankfurt Opera, Blühen received its premiere in January 2023, enchanting the audiences and scoring glowing critical reviews. The work was named “World Premiere of the Year 2023” by the Opernwelt magazine!