Reiner Bredemeyers Schuloper Leben des Andrea

The East Berlin composer Reiner Bredemeyer’s school opera, Leben des Andrea, is based on the opening scene of Bertolt Brecht’s The Life of Galileo, in which Galileo explains to his ten-year-old pupil Andrea the differences between the Ptolemaic and Copernican astronomical systems. Bredemeyer (1929-1995) approaches the scene theatrically, in that the performers are allotted ample freedom while the music, with utmost precision, highlights and occasionally gives momentary comment to action, content, and gestures of speech. The prosody of the vocal lines reveal upon analysis a reflection of the subtle rhythmic shape of theatrical dialogue, one that mirrors verbal posturing and the development of social roles. Bredemeyer’s school opera can be regarded as a learning play (Lehrstück): young people are encouraged to practice viewing the world from different perspectives and to ask questions critically, curiously, and self-confidently.