Ibsens smårips + September

In September by Eivind Buene the complex Hedda Gabler was interpreted by two female singers, while one female singer interpreted essences of 15 of Ibsen’s female characters in Ibsens smårips by Jon Øyvind Ness. The latter title's literal meaning is Ibsen’s little red currants. In Norwegian, the term rips or red currants can be slightly derogatory slang for (attractive) women. There also exists a nursery rhyme about the red currant bushes and other bushes of Ibsen's (Ibsens ripsbusker og andre buskvekster).

Opera West was established in Bergen in 1992 and with the two one-act operas Ibsens smårips and September in the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival for the ninth time. Anchored in tradition and with its centre of gravity axis in the new, Opera West always aimed to create a contemporary, diverse opera offering in Western Norway, including in interaction with international opera communities. Opera West specialised on newly written works and prior to merging with The New Opera the company had produced a total of 24 full scenic opera productions.

A TV documentary was made about the two productions. Information about the film is to be found on the webpage of the video centre AV-sentret.

Ibsens smårips + September was a project within the AdOpera! platform, and it was supported by The Ministry of Culture, Arts Council Norway, the municipality of Bergen, the county of Hordaland, the composer fund Komponistenes Vederlagsfond, the national committee for the Ibsen Year 2006, The Fund for Performing Artists and the grant Lindemanns legat.

Source: Vallat, Marianne Dyrnes, Tom Klev og Kristian Selthun (2006). Black Box Teater Oslo. Høsten 2006. Black Box Teater Oslo [Oslo], 14-15