The Croatian national opera will visit Sofia on the 5th of September and will perform a piece which has gathered quite the fame during the last two years in Zagreb: the opera “Lennon” written by Ivo Josipovic, dedicated to the great rock musician.
The visit is going to be mutual: ten days later, the Sofia Opera and Ballet will present Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in Zagreb.
The story in “Lennon” unfolds after the shot of Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, until John’s death. Everything is presented in the form of a vision in John’s mind where, along with people who are still alive, a lot of John’s passed away close ones also appear.
For example, Stu appears: the first bass player for the “Beetles” who died from a brain haemorrhage when he was 22; John’s own mother also appears: she died when her son is only 17. Bryan Epstein also appears: the Liverpool Four’s first manager, and the other band members follow. Throughout the entire vision, Yoko Ono isn’t at John’s side. She was his lawfully wedded wife at the time of the murder while Mei Pang, their maid, had always been John Lennon’s lover whenever there was a crisis in his marriage with Ono, as Mei herself admits. Yoko Ono appears for a brief moment in the end. Julian also appears, John’s son from his marriage with Synthia. John Lennon’s killer himself is also a part of the vision, sneaking in like a phantom on stage.