The heart is an especially popular symbol as the physical locus of human feelings, longings, and pain. A man would like to live without the painful feelings in his heart; his lover wants to unite with his heart, while transcendental powers would also like to win it over. The composer Matthias Pintscher invents overwhelming and gripping sounds for the mysterious and strange events that take place in his opera Das kalte Herz (The Cold Heart).

Pianist and poet Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg wrote the libretto loosely based on Wilhelm Hauff’s fairy tale of the same name from 1827. In his new poetic text as well, the forest serves as a fascinating backdrop for various worlds of human emotion and uncanny moments of human existence. In cooperation with his team, director James Darrah, who works for the opera, theater, and film, will open mysterious spaces on stage for the special sonic worlds of this new opera.