Dr. Kieron, a brilliant physicist, revered and feared by his colleagues, dives into the shady demimonde at night, in a restless search for happiness. In his sleep, he is haunted by dreams in which he encounters mysterious beings, and recurring numbers and symbols. He finally turns to the soul-healer Astaroth, hoping to find solutions to the mysteries of his life, but this decision has fatal consequences.

For her second opera, the award-winning composer Unsuk Chin was inspired by the life and work of the physicist Wolfgang Pauli – pioneer of quantum physics, and Nobel Prize winner – and his relationship with the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, to create a Faustian operatic myth for the age of the atom bomb.

Die dunkle Seite des Mondes premiered at Hamburg Staatsoper on May 18th 2025.

“A standing ovation at the Hamburg State Opera after the premiere of Unsuk Chin’s The Dark Side of the Moon.... The Dead Centre directing team handle the story perfectly. Jeremy Herbert’s set design contributes to this: the interlocking levels are clear and clever - Kieron’s high-ceilinged office surrounded by videos. Oversized steps lead down into the depths - if you like, to the dark side of the moon, to the dark spheres of humanity.”
Neue Musikzeitung

“Jeremy Herbert's stage design is a compelling blend of classic elements, including revolving and sliding stage designs and video projections by Sophie Lux. Holograms in the stage space and on the gauze add a vibrant touch to the production's aesthetic. The sets fit wonderfully into the overall concept of the directing team. They make it possible to play with light and dark, rise and fall, loneliness and closeness.”  
Concerti

“Unsuk Chin’s new opera conveys, with uncanny precision, the restless energies inside a person’s head… The opera’s premiere was staged by the theatre collective Dead Centre, with a set that was austere but memorable, emphasising the work’s sense of cosmic isolation and the overlap between the pregnant symbols of physics and Jungian psychology.” 
New York Times

Cast
Kieron THOMAS LEHMAN
Astaroth BO SKOVHUS
Miriel SIOBHAN STAGG

Lichtwesen ANDREW DICKINSON
Anima KANGMIN JUSTIN KIM
Lichte Mädchen NAREA SON

Cornelius AARON GODFREY-MAYES
Dr. Pulski WILLIAM DESBIENS
Dr. Raubenstock KARL HUML
Dr. Spinberg JÜRGEN SACHER

Choir of HAMBURG STAATSOPER

Musical Direction KENT NAGANO

Libretto UNSUK CHIN with the collaboration of KERSTIN SCHÜSSLER-BACH

Stage design JEREMY HERBERT
Costume design JANINA BRINKMANN
Light JAMES FARNCOMBE
Video SOPHIE LUX
Choreography SASHA MILAVIC DAVIES

Assistant Directors MAIKE SCHUSTER, VLADISLAV PARAPANOV
Dramaturgy ANGELA BEUERLE

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