The final ‘day’ of Le Balcon’s complete production of Licht, which began in 2018: Wednesday is the day of cooperation and the unity of the three archangels – Michael, Eve and Lucifer. Five performances are scheduled at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in September 2026.
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Mittwoch aus Licht, opera in a salute, four scenes and a farewell
Commissions
Welt-Parlament: SWR Stuttgart
Orchester-Finalisten: Jan van Vlijmen, Holland Festival
Helikopter Streichquartett: Hans Landesmann, Salzburger Festspiele
Michaelion: Udo Zimmermann, Bayerischen Rundfunks
Composition: 1995-1997
Full-length stage premiere: August 22, 2012, Argyle Works, London 2012 Festival, Birmingham Opera Company, under the musical direction of Kathinka Pasveer.
Publisher: Stockhausen Verlag.
Mittwoch aus Licht is the opera of cooperation, reconciliation and alliance between the three protagonists of Licht. Its element is air, and this has a particular influence on the writing of the four scenes: they are not linked by a narrative plot, but have a common relationship to the idea of unification, which manifests itself in the music itself. The music of Mittwoch, taken as a whole, proposes an opening: the concert hall opens up, spaces are multiplied for the same musical time, and the vision of "flying" music, produced by musicians lifted into the air, is realized.
Complete premiere of this production on September 19, 2026 at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin.
Structure
Opera in one salute, four scenes and a farewell for 9 soloists (flute, basset-horn, trumpet, trombone, string quartet, bass with short-wave receiver), choir with singing conductor, orchestra (13 instrumentalist-actors), synthesizer player, 2 dancer-mimes, electronic music (tape), sound projection.
WEDNESDAY SALUTE / MITTWOCHS-GRUSS
First scene
WORLD PARLIAMENT / WELT-PARLAMENT
Second scene
ORCHESTRA FINALISTS / ORCHESTER-FINALISTEN
Third scene
HELICOPTER STRING QUARTET / HELIKOPTER-STREICHQUARTETT
Fourth scene
MICHAELION
WEDNESDAY FAREWELL / MITTWOCHS-ABSCHIED
Cast
Music, libretto, actions and gestures Karlheinz Stockhausen
Musical Director Maxime Pascal
Concept Susanne Kennedy, Markus Selg
Stage Direction Susanne Kennedy
Set Design Markus Selg
Costumes Andra Dumitrascu
Lighting Marcel Weber/MFO
Sound Projection Florent Derex, assisted by Nicolas Widmer
Musical Electronics Augustin Muller
Video Warja Rybakova, Markus Selg
Dramaturgy Beate Breidenbach
Performers Marie Groothof, Tarren Johnson, Ixchel Mendoza Hernández, Dominic Santia, Laurie Young
Le Balcon · Production team
Artistic direction Maxime Pascal
Executive direction Florent Derex
Production direction Iris Zerdoud
Production administration Gaspard Kiejman
Technical management Camille Lézer
Intern Zoé Misischi
WEDNESDAY SALUTE / MITTWOCHS-GRUSS
Sound Projection Florent Derex
First scene
WORLD PARLIAMENT / WELT-PARLAMENT
Chorus Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
President (singing conductor) Jeremy Bines
Deputy President (Coloratura Soprano) Rachel Pinevska
The Caretaker Jörg Schörner
Sound Projection Florent Derex
Second scene
ORCHESTRA FINALISTS / ORCHESTER-FINALISTEN
Orchestra Ensemble Le Balcon
Ye Chang Jung (Oboe)
Clotilde Lacroix (Cello)
Ghislain Roffat (Clarinet)
Julien Abbes (Bassoon)
Michelle Ross (Violin)
Maxime Morel (Tuba)
Charlotte Bletton (Flute)
Mathieu Adam (Trombone)
Grégoire Simon (Viola)
Henri Deléger (Trumpet)
Kévin Garçon (Double Bass)
Joël Lasry (Horn)
Dominic Santia (Percussion)
Sound Projection Florent Derex
Third scene
HELICOPTER STRING QUARTET / HELIKOPTER-STREICHQUARTETT
String Quartet Streichquartett des Orchesters der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Anna Matz (Violin I)
Monia Rizkallah (Violin II)
Kirsikka de Leval Jezierski (Viola)
Arne-Christian Pelz (Cello)
Helicopters and pilots: Deutsche Helikopter
Udo Ramm
Christian Haller
Jörn Muth
Alexander Patzelt
Sound engineers aboard the helicopters Steven Rick, Gregory Strumila, Robert Schirmer, Alexander Garn
Sound Projection Florent Derex and Nicolas Widmer
Fourth scene
MICHAELION
Chorus Ensemble Le Balcon
Operator Robin Adams (Bass)
Flute Julie Brunet-Jailly
Basset Horn Mélanie Haas
Trumpet Henri Deléger
Trombonut Mathieu Adam (Trombone)
Synthesizer Alain Muller
Chorus Masters Alphonse Cemin, Alain Muller
Sound Projection Florent Derex
Sopranos: Clara Barbier Serrano, Angèle Chemin, Emmanuelle Jakubek, Faustine de Monès, Pauline Nachman, Norma Nahoun, Marie Picaut, Parveen Savart, Michiko Takahashi
Altos: Aurore Bouston, Geneviève Cirasse, Alice Gregorio, Solène Laurent, Camille Merckx, Claire Naessens, Clara Pécot, Claire Péron, Pauline Sikirdji
Tenors: Jean-Jacques L'Anthoën, Théo Jugie, Amaury Lacaille, Hubert Mayer, Josué Miranda, Romain Pascal, Florian Pereira, Pablo Ramos Monroy, Ryan Veillet
Basses: Frédéric Albou, Florent Baffi, David Colosio, Paul-Alexandre Dubois, Mathieu Dubroca, Thill Mantero, Halidou Nombre, Alan Picol, Andry Razafinimanana
WEDNESDAY FAREWELL / MITTWOCHS-ABSCHIED
Sound Projection Florent Derex
