The Loser

The Austrian author Thomas Bernhard was an artist of exaggeration. He would have said of himself that he could not and would not exaggerate. And yet his texts are full of artful exaggerations, exaggerations and impositions. In Bernhard's novel Der Untergeher, the narrator looks back on the relationships of a lifetime in long streams of thoughts. His powerful reminiscences seem like an attempt to rant despair from his soul. Where is the place where I can stand it? asks Der Untergeher. How can I cope with myself? And when did I pass the moment when the future was still open to me? Composer David Lang incorporates these questions into his solo performance for baritone voice The Loser. His music allows Bernhard's anger to collapse again and again and her insecurity to emerge. The questions remain the same. Naturally, we don't expect answers. They don't exist. And yet we listen with fascination to the screams and cries for help. After all, we are in dire need of support ourselves.