Twelve-hour Icelandic take on Mozart, 'Bliss' will mark first live event at the Michigan Building in 50 years

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Courtesy of Michigan Opera Theatre

Bliss will mark the return of live performances at the Michigan Building.

When was the last time you did something for 12 hours straight without pause? And no, sleep doesn’t count. Well, if you can hang — and even if you can’t — there’s something blissful happening at the historic Michigan Building and the first performance to take place in the theater-turned-parking garage in 50 years.

As part of Detroit’s Month of Design, Icelandic multidisciplinary artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s BLISS will make its Detroit debut. A recreation of Kjartansson’s 2020 performance is a bit of a mind fjandinn.

For BLISS, Kjartansson borrows from the finale of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro (spoiler alert: Count Almaviva pleads for the Countess’ forgiveness and ultimately earns it) and replays the final three minutes of the beloved opera with the same cast and orchestra for 12 hours without stopping. The result? “An eternal looped moment of repentance and grace with some of the most heavenly music Mozart composed.” Described as transcendent and a staggering artistic achievement, BLISS champions the healing power of music. We’re going to need a bigger cup of coffee.

Event runs from noon-midnight on Saturday, Sep. 25 at the Michigan Building, 220 Bagley St., Detroit; designcore.org. Tickets are pay what you can with a suggested admission price of $20. Tickets are free to use anytime during the 12-hour performance.