WORLD PREMIERE MITTWOCH AUS LICHT / WEDNESDAY FROM LIGHT The day of reconciliation and collaboration MITTWOCH / WEDNESDAY. An opera byKarlheinz Stockhausen A commission for the London 2012 Festival, produ ced by Birmingham Opera Company August 22nd, 23rd, 24th 25th 2012 at 4 pm Argyle Works, Great Barr Street, Birmingham B9 4EX Graham Vick w ill direct the world premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s opera Mittwoch ausLicht for Birmingham Opera Company. Comprising a string quartet performingin helicopters, electronic and acoustic music and a dancing camel, this will be the first time the opera, often thought to be unstageable, has be en performed in its entirety. In August 2012 Mittwoch aus Licht/Wednesda y from Light finally hits the stage – or rather a former chemical works in the middle of Birmingham. Internationally acclaimed opera director Graham V ick has assembled an outstanding artistic team with his unique Birmingham O pera Company featuring some 150 performers. Under the musical direction of Stockhausen’s long-time collaborator, Kathinka Pasveer the line-up incl udes Birmingham’s Ex Cathedra and London Voices with an array of virtuoso o rchestral soloists as well as local performers recruited and trained throug h the company’s award-winning participation programme. Radio 1 DJ Nihal wil l act as Moderator. This landmark event will take place in the extraordi nary Argyle Works, a former chemical plant and venue for Birmingham Opera Company’s production of Verdi’s Othello. Of his monumental achievement L icht, (Light) a cycle of 7 operas, one for each day of the week, Mittwoc h (Wednesday) is the only part of the cycle that Stockhausen never saw stag ed. “We have individual scenes from Mittwoch aus Licht in very good conc ert performances. But all attempts to stage Mittwoch aus Licht have not bee n successful. I do not want the opera performance to be incomplete” Stockha usen Even 5 years after his death, the challenge and scale of the piece , in six parts including the Helicopter String Quartet and featuring two c hoirs, solo instrumentalists, live electronic and acoustic music and a da ncing camel, means the piece still awaits its premiere - that is until 22n d August in Birmingham. Stockhausen: a revolutionary figure in 20th cent ury music. His innovation moved composition into new territory embracing th e new technology of electronic music and breaking the barriers between musi cal genres. His influenced permeated pop, rock and electronic music throug h artists such as Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles and, mo re recently, Björk. His appeal to a very broad young audience sells out th e Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican as well as large concert halls in Euro pe, America and the Pacific Rim.