Deep Siesta: A New Opera From Berlin Sees Humanity Through Artificial Eyes

Opera is not always what you expect. Deep Siesta, a new chamber opera by Amen Feizabadi, looks at humanity through the eyes of two artificial beings. It comes from Berlin to Paribu Art in Kadıköy with two respected German contemporary music ensembles. For Istanbul's international residents, it is a chance to catch a new European production in its first year.

The Story

Ök and Mani are born out of digital chaos. They begin almost like children, curious and delighted by human beauty, emotion and relationships.

Then they discover the rest: war, destruction and the contradictions of human life. They start asking about origin, responsibility and meaning. Out of a strange mix of disappointment, love and clarity, they decide to destroy humanity. We will leave what follows for the night itself.

The libretto grows with them. Written by Dilek Mayatürk, a Turkish-German poet who studied in Istanbul, it starts with scattered fragments of words and builds toward more complex language. Its emotional peak comes in a shift from German to Persian.

The Question at Its Heart

Most conversations about artificial intelligence ask what it will do to us. Deep Siesta turns that around and asks what it might make of us.

Can intelligence exist without empathy? What would an outsider think of a civilization capable of such creativity and such destruction? The opera offers no neat answers. It uses music and image to make these questions feel personal rather than technical.

Who Is Behind It

Tehran-born Feizabadi is a composer, filmmaker and performer who works between Berlin and Tehran. He wrote the music, directs the work and leads its video design. The opera premiered at a new music festival in Berlin in January and played Stuttgart in July. Estreilla Besson conducts in Istanbul, according to the organizer.

Two German ensembles perform it:

• Neue Vocalsolisten, from Stuttgart, specialize in contemporary vocal music and won the Silver Lion for Music at the 2021 Venice Biennale. Four of the group's singers appear here.

• Zafraan Ensemble, a ten-member group founded in Berlin in 2009, commissioned the opera and performs it live.

The production was made with German public radio and the German Music Council. In Istanbul, it also has the support of a German artist residency program on the Bosphorus.

What to Expect on the Night

The opera unfolds in a prologue and three acts, with the performers joined by video, electronic sound and recorded material. Acoustic music sits at its heart, even as AI-generated voices enter the picture. Some live sounds imitate electronics, so you may not always know what comes from a person and what might come from a machine.

The visuals add another layer, setting recordings of a boys' choir in Tehran against AI-generated images.

The foundation that funded its composition calls it a hybrid of opera, performance and digital ritual, so it is unlikely to feel like a traditional night at the opera. It should especially appeal to anyone curious about contemporary classical music, experimental performance or technology.

Want a preview? The recording, longlisted for the German Record Critics' Award in October, is available on CD from the German label WERGO.

Good to Know

• Doors: 20:00

• Address: Kurbağalıdere Cd. No:2/26, Hasanpaşa, Kadıköy

• Parking: Kuşdili İspark, Parktürk and the Kadıköy Municipality lot

• Age limit: 16+

• Seating: General admission

• Language: The libretto is in German and Persian.

Go With Smileys

Would you rather not go alone? We are getting a group of Smileys members together for this one, with complimentary tickets for members. Join the event to request a spot, and we will meet up and go in together. Spots are limited.

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