Grand Opéra de trash in 27 acts and entr’actes
ChampdAction
Co-production with deSingel and Concertgebouw Brugge
Virtual and real space, act and entr’acte, fictional and factual identity all clash at the ‘Place de l’opéra aperta’. Voices, resonances, sounds, screams, orders, murmur and singing spring from the noise of technology and ecology, dictatorship and democracy. These concepts are what Hold Your Horsesbuilds upon: the brutal confrontation with a fragmentary world that balances between reality and virtual reality. In the libretto, loosely bases on Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action,assemblies of nature and culture flirt with diva’s and avatars. ‘A HORSE! A HORSE! MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE!’, King Richard III yells hopelessly. ‘KIFAYA!’ (ENOUGH!) is the (provisional) answer of the Arab Spring, spread by cellphone recordings. Great idols and narratives tragically end up in flash news, while the common man assembles himself into a DIY-hero and adores virtual stars. The moral of the story? Vulnerability prevails when the antagonisms of life break through the art of code in opera. ChampdAction’s Grand Opera is doomed to be an Opera Aperta.
ChampdAction
Co-production with deSingel and Concertgebouw Brugge
Virtual and real space, act and entr’acte, fictional and factual identity all clash at the ‘Place de l’opéra aperta’. Voices, resonances, sounds, screams, orders, murmur and singing spring from the noise of technology and ecology, dictatorship and democracy. These concepts are what Hold Your Horsesbuilds upon: the brutal confrontation with a fragmentary world that balances between reality and virtual reality. In the libretto, loosely bases on Gene Sharp’s 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action,assemblies of nature and culture flirt with diva’s and avatars. ‘A HORSE! A HORSE! MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE!’, King Richard III yells hopelessly. ‘KIFAYA!’ (ENOUGH!) is the (provisional) answer of the Arab Spring, spread by cellphone recordings. Great idols and narratives tragically end up in flash news, while the common man assembles himself into a DIY-hero and adores virtual stars. The moral of the story? Vulnerability prevails when the antagonisms of life break through the art of code in opera. ChampdAction’s Grand Opera is doomed to be an Opera Aperta.
CREDITS
Musicians: concept, muziek, visuals Serge Verstockt – dramaturgy Jan Vandenhouwe, Kathleen Coessens – architect, visuals Werner Van dermeersch – technical coordinator Jean–Pierre Deschepper – projectcoordination, trombone Thomas Moore – scenography Werner Kurosawa – stage manager Evy Vancalbergh – electronics ChampdAction/Studio – sound technician Simon Vander Beken, Mark Dedecker – live electronics, sound design Benjamin Van Esser – video, light Koen Goossens – double bass, film, synthesizer Ann Eysermans – harp, singer Astrin Phospora – saxophone, singer Audrey Lauro – guitar, voice, moonerchoir kapelmeister Ko Kowalsky – violin, iPad, gamer, Maiku controller Takao Hyakutome – saxophone, voice Peter Verdonck – double bass, chainsaw Peter Jacquemyn – voice, double bass Frederic Lyenn Jacques – trumpet Thomas Piet – piano Yutaka Oya – drums Karen Willems – singer Rolande Van der Paal – dance Olympe Tits – philosopher Jean Paul Van Bendegem
Musicians: concept, muziek, visuals Serge Verstockt – dramaturgy Jan Vandenhouwe, Kathleen Coessens – architect, visuals Werner Van dermeersch – technical coordinator Jean–Pierre Deschepper – projectcoordination, trombone Thomas Moore – scenography Werner Kurosawa – stage manager Evy Vancalbergh – electronics ChampdAction/Studio – sound technician Simon Vander Beken, Mark Dedecker – live electronics, sound design Benjamin Van Esser – video, light Koen Goossens – double bass, film, synthesizer Ann Eysermans – harp, singer Astrin Phospora – saxophone, singer Audrey Lauro – guitar, voice, moonerchoir kapelmeister Ko Kowalsky – violin, iPad, gamer, Maiku controller Takao Hyakutome – saxophone, voice Peter Verdonck – double bass, chainsaw Peter Jacquemyn – voice, double bass Frederic Lyenn Jacques – trumpet Thomas Piet – piano Yutaka Oya – drums Karen Willems – singer Rolande Van der Paal – dance Olympe Tits – philosopher Jean Paul Van Bendegem