Le Balcon

Karlheinz Stockausen
Licht, the Seven Days of the Week (1977-2003)

Music, libretto, dance, actions and gestures : Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007)

Licht is a revelation for the eye, the ear and the mind, consisting of seven “days” totalling almost thirty hours of music. Licht unfolds the existence, alliances and conflicts of three angels: Michael, Eve and Lucifer.

The seven “days” in order of composition

Donnerstag aus Licht (1978-1980) [Thursday of Light]
14 performers, choir, orchestra and tape. 
Color: Blue | Celestial body: Jupiter | Spiritual qualities: Love and wisdom.
World premiere: April 3, 1981 at Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Samstag aus Licht (1981-1983) [Saturday of Light]
13 performers, harmony, ballet or mime, men's choir with organ
Black | Saturn | Understanding and intelligence
World premiere: May 25, 1984, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Montag aus Licht (1984-88) [Monday of Light]
21 performers, chorus, 21 actresses, children's chorus, girls' chorus, modern orchestra, conductor, sound projectionist.
Green | Moon | Ceremony and Magic
World premiere: May 7, 1988, at Teatro alla Scala, Milan

Dienstag aus Licht (1977-1991) [Tuesday of Light]
17 performers, actors, mimes, chorus, modern orchestra, tape
Red | Mars | Idealism and devotion
World premiere: May 28, 1993, Leipzig Opera House

Freitag aus Licht (1991-1994) [Friday of Light]
5 performers, children's orchestra, children's choir, 12 choir singers, synthesizer player, 12 pairs of dancer-mimes, electronic music with sound scenes, sound projectionist
Orange | Venus | Knowledge and Reason
World premiere: September 12, 1996, Leipzig Opera House

Mittwoch aus Licht (1995-97) [Wednesday of Light]
9 performers, chorus with singing chorus leader, orchestra, synthesizer player, 2 dancer-mimes, electronic music (tapes), sound projectionist
Yellow | Mercury | Art and harmony
World premiere: August 22, 2012, Argyle Works, London 2012 Festival, Birmingham Opera Company

Sonntag aus Licht (1998-2003) [Sunday of Light]
7 soloists, vocal sextet, 1 child soloist, chorus, orchestra & electronics
Or | Soleil | Volonté et force
World premiere: April 9 and 10, 2011, Cologne Opera House

For each of these operas, Stockhausen has assigned a day of the week, a color, a planet, a precious stone and a perfume. Using a musical and visual language created from scratch, he attempts to recreate the world through the existence, union and confrontation of three angels: Michael, Eva and Lucifer. Stockhausen also wrote the libretto, the gestures, the dance, and meticulous instructions for the electronic music and sound projection.

Licht has a triple ambition: astronomical, anthropological and autobiographical. Astronomical, in the sense that Stockhausen's notation establishes a map of the universe, and reproduces certain cosmic movements in the displacement of sound. Anthropological, in that Licht incorporates elements from every culture, continent and religion. Autobiographical, because Stockhausen reveals his own story: his tragic childhood marked by the loss of his parents, war, the discovery of love and earthly pleasures.

Le Balcon's history with Licht goes back to the very first years of the ensemble. In 2010, almost by chance, the members of Le Balcon stumbled upon Examen, an extraordinary scene from Donnerstag in which the hero, Michaël, takes a conservatory entrance exam while being represented threefold: by a tenor, a trumpeter and a dancer. After a few initial performances at Église Saint-Merry, a long apprenticeship began, both from the point of view of musical analysis and instrumental and electronic interpretation.

On November 15, 2018, Le Balcon presents the French premiere of Donnerstag at the Opéra Comique. The decision was made to stage each subsequent Journée du cycle Licht, at the rate of one per year. Over the years, major partners have joined us, including the Philharmonie de Paris - Cité de la Musique, the Festival d'Automne à Paris and the Opéra de Lille.

Donnerstag, directed by Benjamin Lazar, was performed in its entirety at the Opéra Comique (Paris, 2018), the Southbank Centre (London, 2019) and the Philharmonie de Paris (2021 for Acts I and II, 2024 for Act III).

Samstag (2019, directed by Damien Bigourdan and Nieto), Dienstag (2020, same team) and Sonntag (2023, Ted Huffman) were performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, as part of the Festival d'Automne à Paris.
Freitag (2022) and Montag (2025) are also presented at the Philharmonie de Paris, as part of the Festival d'Automne à Paris, but have also benefited from the Balcon de l'Opéra de Lille residency. Directed by Silvia Costa, Freitag premiered on November 5, 2022 at the Opéra de Lille. Lundi was then partially premiered at the Opéra de Lille in January 2025 in the form of a work-in-progress including open rehearsals, listening and discovery sessions... prior to the opera's complete premiere at the Philharmonie de Paris, scheduled for November 29, 2025.

The cosmic and artistic “journey” represented by the complete Licht, the Seven Days of the Week will conclude in 2026, with Mittwoch aus Licht.