ADA KALEH

Together with the ensemble for contemporary music theater DieOrdnungDerDinge, director Franziska Seeberg immerses herself in the memory of a mystical place. The production traces a sunken island in the Danube in Romania and follows the traces of nostalgic stories and images that have become increasingly blurry over time.

DieOrdnungDerDinge develops “Ada Kaleh” as a musical evening on the edge of memory and meticulously reconstructs a place that never was based on interviews. For this, the ensemble weaves Romanian hits, sound recordings from the Danube region, and the hum of Michael Vorfeld’s incandescent lamp music. The island of Ada Kaleh was washed away in 1971 by the construction of the Iron Gate I Dam. Romania gained electricity through this prestigious power plant. Until then, the island, which was nearly two kilometers long, was a Turkish enclave located between Romania and the former Yugoslavia. It was a flourishing excursion destination and was considered “exotic” by tourists from all over. Today, more than ever, it is a place of longing for many people. DieOrdnungDerDinge starts from an expanded concept of music and composes visual and acoustic aspects equally. In recent years, the ensemble has developed new digital formats that have made contemporary music more accessible to a wider audience. With “Ada Kaleh,” a piece for the analog space is created once again.