Sophia or “Liberty’s heavy load” - Music Theatre at Schloss Greinburg

Sophia or “Liberty’s heavy load”
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Libretto by Philipp Blom

Company of music
Katharina Linhard & Barbara Achammer, soprano
Lucia Varsic & Anna Kargl, alto
Sebastian Taschner & Jakob Gerbeth, tenor
Maximilian Schnabel & Daniel Menczigar, bass
Barbara Novotny theatrical performance
L’Orfeo Barockorchester
Johannes Hiemetsberger musical direction

Saskia Bladt music adaption
Manuela Kloibmüller stage direction
Isabella Reder stage & costume design

The annual music theatre production at the Greinburg Castle introduces a fresh approach in 2026. A “Bach opera” titled Sophia or “Liberty’s heavy load” combines the boundless power of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music with living causes of our time. In Greinburg Castle a a many-layered soundscape will evolve in which the arcade court will serve as a lively stage with The Company of Music and the L’Orfeo Barockorchester, conducted by Johannes Hiemetsberger.

Musical theatre in times of present-day ruptures…
Even though Johann Sebastian Bach did not compose any operas himself, his cantatas and choruses convey an impressive dramatic power. From this rich abundance, Saskia Bladt weaves a fine musical collage and forms Sophia or “Liberty’s heavy load” into a musical-theatrical pasticcio of our time. Philipp Blom’s libretto questions current social issues: How does artificial intelligence influence our thinking, our decisions and our understanding of humanity?

The central scene is the festive launch of the omniscient AI Sophia. Between music by Bach, champagne and visionary images of the future, the machine answers the questions of its admirers with impressive clarity. When the waitress Leila asks a very personal question, this confident clarity crumbles and a space for reflection and dialogue opens. Thus, the work invites the audience to an intensive mental experiment about progress, responsibility and human freedom and opens a multi-layered, moving view of our possible future.