The First Klingon Opera Takes Flight
The Klingons are a warrior race in the Star Trek universe, and there's even been an official language created for it (by a linguist, no less), with an official Klingon Dictionary
, to boot. What's to prevent them from creating an opera around the language, then? Nothing, really.
Thus, an opera, called "U," kicked off a three-day run at the Zeebelt Theater Friday in The Hague, Netherlands. "U" is the Klingon word for "universe" or "universal."
In Star Trek canon, of course, Earth did not know of Klingons as yet, so this is somewhat of a time-travel episode, one might assume.
In "U." Kahless is betrayed by his brother (not unusual in Klingon culture) and witnesses his father's brutal death. He must fight to regain his honor by traveling into the underworld, reuniting with his true love, Lukara, before finally having a showdown with his arch-enemy, the tyrant Molor.
The show appears to have been well-received, with an audience member, Erwin Siegers, saying after a preview on Thursday evening, "It was really well interpreted, the music was really good, and the performance of the actors were fantastic."
The "real" Klingon people have also been invited to see the show, via a message beamed via a radio telescope in April to their home star, Arcturus. However, it will take 36 years to reach them, which means even at maximum warp speed they will be a tad bit late for performances in the Netherlands or those scheduled for later this month in Frankfurt.
, to boot. What's to prevent them from creating an opera around the language, then? Nothing, really.Thus, an opera, called "U," kicked off a three-day run at the Zeebelt Theater Friday in The Hague, Netherlands. "U" is the Klingon word for "universe" or "universal."
Worf and Gowron, from ST:TNG, via Wikimedia Commons
"U" tells the story of Kahless the Unforgettable who, according to canon, unified the Klingon people and became the first Klingon emperor. "U" co-creator Floris Schonfeld told Reuters:
"Klingon are known as passionate opera lovers but at the same time very little was known about Klingon opera here so as far as I was concerned that was a very interesting challenge to try and make an authentic, or as authentic, something out of that as possible."Here is, of course, the Earth.
In Star Trek canon, of course, Earth did not know of Klingons as yet, so this is somewhat of a time-travel episode, one might assume.
In "U." Kahless is betrayed by his brother (not unusual in Klingon culture) and witnesses his father's brutal death. He must fight to regain his honor by traveling into the underworld, reuniting with his true love, Lukara, before finally having a showdown with his arch-enemy, the tyrant Molor.
The show appears to have been well-received, with an audience member, Erwin Siegers, saying after a preview on Thursday evening, "It was really well interpreted, the music was really good, and the performance of the actors were fantastic."
The "real" Klingon people have also been invited to see the show, via a message beamed via a radio telescope in April to their home star, Arcturus. However, it will take 36 years to reach them, which means even at maximum warp speed they will be a tad bit late for performances in the Netherlands or those scheduled for later this month in Frankfurt.
