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Programme Note

In this work, Antheil combines elements of both opera and ballet and replaces scenery and props with projections on a white front curtain and a back screen. Characters sing from the orchestra pit as their actions are portrayed on stage by dancers. The principles of flight were discovered in Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Niklos is a young inventor who has angered Ivan the Terrible by building a glider so that he can fly. Ivan is so furious that he kills Niklos. The terrified crowd watching the flying demonstration relays the message that people are not doomed to stay upon earth; they can fly, perhaps even better than angels.