Every day, She whispers a wish to Her magical Goldfish. She wishes for love, for peace, and for anything else She cannot achieve for Herself. One morning She wakes to find the Goldfish dead. Her reality falls apart: without the Goldfish, Her future now lies solely in Her own hands. What will this awaken in Her? What will now give direction to Her life?
Some fish sleep so strangely deals with themes of grief, hope, hopelessness and power, while also questioning the human urge to project our own dreams and emotions onto animals. What happens when we are suddenly forced to navigate reality without any guidance?
Premiered on March 14th, 2025, as part of the Opera Forward Festival at the National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Composition Mateusz Godlewski
Libretto Jet Linssen
Stage direction Elin Löfman
Scenography Johanne Hornum, Mia Vos
Production Zora Jolie
Libretto Jet Linssen
Stage direction Elin Löfman
Scenography Johanne Hornum, Mia Vos
Production Zora Jolie
Singer Despina Kelesidou
Chorus Adam Harrata, Natalie Marssdorf, Charis Orfanidou, René Wynants
Musicians Magnus Bodzin, Reina Dreyhaupt
Chorus Adam Harrata, Natalie Marssdorf, Charis Orfanidou, René Wynants
Musicians Magnus Bodzin, Reina Dreyhaupt
ADVISED BY Isabel Schröder