The staging of the Danish composer Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen’s opera The Picture of Dorian Gray (2013) is one of Den Jyske Opera’s (Danish National Opera) bravest ventures in recent years: a choreographed opera with no singers on stage – based on Oscar Wilde’s most controversial novel. Like Wilde’s novel, Agerfeldt Olesen’s opera balances between reality and dream or imagination. Consequently, both sounds from the world of yesterday and outbreaks of the musical genre are present in Agerfeldt Olesen’s score, though primarily expressing the composer’s own distinctive sound. The prizewinning Swedish choreographer Marie Brolin-Tani has conceived the choreography seen on the opera stage as a strong sensual interpretation of the actions and conflicts of the drama.
Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen trained as a cellist and composer at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Århus, studying composition with Poul Ruders, Karl Aage Rasmussen, Olav Anton Thommesen, Henryk Gorecki in Poland and Bent Sørensen.
In recent years Thomas Agerfeldt Olesen has become a particularly sought-after composer, and he works with many prominent Danish and foreign ensembles including WDR Radiosinfonieorchester Stuttgart, the Århus Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen, the Danish National Opera, Quartetto di Cremona, Henschel Quartet, Pellegrini Quartet, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, Århus Sinfonietta, PLEX (formerly The Other Opera), Rolf Hind, Thomas Hell and the Danish String Quartet.
Sung in English
Subtitles: English, Danish
Menu language: English
Sound format: Stereo 2.0
Region code: 0
Running time: 107 min.
DVD 9 / NTSC
