The mayor of M. city organizes charitable Vienna ball to raise funds to support the outcasts of the society. In order to add some flavour to the feast, the host introduces a strange mosaic of the images captured on candid cameras. The guests watch the lives of the characters ruined by unhappy love: a poet, left by his beloved and finding escape in his verse and pubs; a scholar, who blames the academic community and entire humanity for the death of his lover; “a rocker” still trying to find That Only One in rock music; a drug addict, destroying himself in his narcotic visions and a teenager, lost in Oedipus complex and continually killing his stepfather in childish drawings.
As one might expect, there are women involved in the destinies of these characters. Upon the appearance of M., the guest-star of the evening, all characters suddenly recognize her as the heroine of their own stories. All five men related by similar experience blend into a mystical multi-layered creature that tries to touch the guest-star after she enters the ball from the stage. Affected by their painful stories, M. challenges the city mayor, who plays the destinies of people. An aria is performed, full of sympathy to the guests of the ball who worship superficial glitter and “amazing” shows. The city mayor encourages the guests not to pay attention to the M.’s accusations, expecting to meet at other charity balls and events in the near future.
The musical idea of this opera is to strive for the piece’s unity though means of stylistic diversity and to seek for the origins of music observing how the same musical thought unfolds through use of diverse stylistic means and in combinations with visual arts.
Composer Sigitas Mickis