Opera in the Salzkammergut

The singing water sprite and the sweet salt girl

Grundlsee: Mystical, romantic, now also a cultural venue(Bild: Christoph Hartner)

A creature, half man, half fish, gets entangled in a fishing net - and becomes a hero in Auseerland. This is the subject of the new opera "Der Wassermann vom Grundlsee" by Vanni Moretto, which can be seen three times at the Archkogl outdoor pool from Sunday - a work commissioned by the Aussee Baroque Days.

A creature, half fish, half human, becomes entangled in a fishing net. Jumping back into the water, it shows the people where the salt lies in Ausseerland. The legend of the water sprite, which today adorns the coat of arms of the municipality of Grundlsee, tells of this. Now he becomes the hero of a contemporary opera with baroque influences.

Baroque, folklore and modernity
Verena Frey, project manager of the Aussee Baroque Days, commissioned the Italian composer and conductor Vanni Moretto to write the musical work. It took two and a half years until the financing was in place. More than 50 people are now involved in the project.

(Bild: Ausseer Barocktage)

Love gets involved
The libretto by Stefano Pintor not only revolves around the legend, but also around a salt girl and a love story. The composer combines contemporary music with baroque and folkloristic elements. The singers were selected from up-and-coming talent from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, while the choir is made up of local singers. An international chamber orchestra will be conducted by the composer himself.

The premiere on August 11 at 8.30 pm will take place at the Archkogl outdoor pool in Grundlsee. Further dates are on August 12 and 13. In case of bad weather, there will be an alternative date on August 14 in the multi-purpose hall of the Narcissus village of Zloam.