The Paradise Maker
about the price of utopia and the nature of man
An Opera by Jakob Høgsbro and Jesper Lützhøft
What happens when the idea of a perfect society collides with the desires and conflicts of the real world?
The Paradise Maker is a new Danish opera in which philosophy, human relationships, and the darker chapters of European history are woven into a gripping narrative.
With an innovative soundscape—where jazz meets classical and saxophones blend with strings—Jakob Høgsbro and Jesper Lützhøft have created a work that both challenges and captivates. This is opera for today’s audience: intense, surprising, and deeply resonant.
And it’s based on a true story!
An outstanding and thoroughly crafted work, full of exciting musical ideas and innovative instrumentation. The musical ambition is high, yet the goal is superbly achieved through a remarkable symbiosis between a classical instrumentation, led by strings, and a jazz-inspired element carried by saxophones. The interaction with the human voices works flawlessly, creating a unique and immersive sonic universe. Moreover, the work holds contemporary relevance in its libretto, addressing the tension between the aspiration to create a perfect paradise on Earth and the drive toward perpetual self-destruction. It is therefore my pleasure to offer my wholehearted recommendation of this work. Peter Ettrup Larsen Conductor, PhD, MA
The Paradise Maker is a new Danish opera created by composer Jakob Høgsbro and playwright Jesper Lützhøft—a musical work that breaks with convention and revitalizes the operatic form with urgency, nuance, and reflection. Drawing on his roots in jazz, Høgsbro has composed an explosive soundscape where saxophones, strings, piano, and percussion merge in an unorthodox yet powerfully theatrical expression.
The opera is inspired by a true story, from the Galápagos Islands in the 1930s, known as the The Galápagos Affair: an experiment in building a new society—a paradise—far removed from the rules and norms of civilization. But as idealism collides with desire and complex human relationships, the dream begins to fracture. A series of dramatic and mysterious deaths casts a shadow over the island—and the story—giving rise to both myths and moral inquiry.
In The Paradise Maker, Høgsbro and Lützhøft take a free and imaginative approach to the historical material, crafting a contemporary and universal work about humanity’s eternal longing for perfection—and the internal forces that ultimately undermine it. Themes such as power, freedom, control, and desire are intricately interwoven with a musical and dramatic expression that shifts seamlessly between the serious and the satirical—in the finest Holbergian tradition.
Bridging Danish humor and German intellectual history, the opera invites audiences into a narrative grounded in real events yet resonant with timeless insights. The Paradise Maker is opera for the modern age—accessible to newcomers and yet still challenging for seasoned audiences alike, inviting all to encounter the genre anew.
