Twitter monologues (english description)
Twitter Monologues is a cycle of songs by the german composer Manuel Roesler, based on short tweets, (excerpts of) speeches and interviews. Seven miniature operatic scenes in which Trump, for example, complains about how unfairly he is treated by the media, while the piano is constantly striking new rhythmic hooks ("Trump's Lament"). Or belittles TV personalities like Bryant Gumbel or Rosie O’Donnell. And of course it’s always the “corrupt media” that simply don’t get him right “(Fake News”).
In “Best Builder” we meet Trump as a startled young boy, who needs to assure himself that he actually is important – at least to someone: "Sorry losers and haters, but my IQ is one of the highest - and you all know it"). And we see all his childhood dreams shattered at “Inauguration Day”, which feels like an empty birthday party to which nobody came – a song that resonates the medieval traditions of a “passacaglia”. And with it’s “death bell”-like drone also remands of a march to the scaffold. Or a “walk of shame” if you prefer that image…
In his "twitter monologues" Roesler does not position himself as a defender of his protagonist - but not as his opponent. Rather, he is interested in the abysmal and bizarre nature of the self-created "creature Trump", the operatic exhibition of irritating character traits as well as the question, whether there is a man behind the noise that he makes.
