Death Knocks
VISION OF THE WORK
One-act opera based on the play of the same name by Woody Allen for mezzo-soprano, baritone and chamber ensemble, German text version by Esther Ferrier
New York, somewhere in the middle of Manhattan. The streets pulsate with the hustle and bustle of a lively city, while successful textile manufacturer Nat Ackermann settles down to relax after work. Reading the evening paper on his bed, he whistles the evergreen tune ‘There is simply no way to go’ when he is suddenly torn from his idyll by a loud noise. In a most inelegant and clumsy manner, a strange creature falls from the rain gutter and crashes through the window into his living room. Nat is completely dismayed and astonished to discover that this someone is a rather attractive lady. Of course, Nat doesn’t believe a word this rather confused lady says when she claims to be his very own Death and intends to take him away immediately. He refuses to accept this, let alone go with her. Death begins to wonder whether he might have made a mistake with the address on the assignment. It turns out that this is his first “case”. Nat can’t believe it, feels perfectly healthy, has just successfully completed a major merger with a famous company and refuses to go with him.
He engages the easily distracted Death in various conversations, during which it slowly dawns on him that this really is his death. But Death doesn’t seem to be very clever, so Nat senses an opportunity to outwit him. He persuades Death to play a game of gin rummy with him. Death, still completely exhausted from the strenuous climb up to the window, tired of Nat’s resistance and already overwhelmed by his first job, agrees. If Death wins, Nat agrees to go with him immediately; if Nat wins, he gets a day’s reprieve. Nat, being a true businessman, suggests playing for money as well. The night begins, and so does the game of life and death. While Death is concentrating on the cards, Nat tries to find out something about dying, the afterlife and life after death: where will we go, what will it be like there, how will I die, etc. As a shrewd negotiator, he hopes to negotiate the best possible terms for himself and distract Death from the game. Nat’s constant probing and chatter makes Death completely nervous. Confident that he has a good hand, he loses the game hands down. Now he has not only messed up his job, but also incurred gambling debts. In a panic, Death realises that it was a serious game for time.
Having botched his first job like that really gnaws at his self-confidence. He’s gambled away the few quid he had. What should he do now, where should he go? Without the necessary cash, a trip to the afterlife is out of the question, let alone renting a hotel room. And what should he do with the time he has left, how should he ‘kill’ it, ignorant and confused as he is? But Nat doesn’t care about any of that. With the certainty of being the clear winner, he throws Death out of his house and senses that he will continue to ‘playfully’ deal with this death.