Guided by the baton of conductor Kazushi Ono, a choir comprised of 48 members appear on stage, dressed like eerie phantoms with white masks and white bodysuits. Instead of the usual orchestral overture that begins an opera, powerful human voices without instrumental accompaniment let out an intermittent melody with lyrics that repeat the word “armageddon,” drawing the audience into a foreboding story about fear and uncertainty in times of crisis.
This is how the world premiere of “A Dream of Armageddon,” an opera composed by Dai Fujikura, began on Nov. 15 at the New National Theater, Tokyo (NNTT), around the time the capital began making headlines with its "third wave" of cases.
“I wanted my opera to start with a cappella after my librettist, Harry (Ross), a former opera singer, confirmed that there are hardly any operas like that,” Fujikura tells The Japan Times via video chat during the fourth day of a 14-day quarantine period after traveling to Japan from his base in London.