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*Escorial*
A performance by Josse De Pauw on Michel de Ghelderode’s play with new music by George Alexander van Dam and old music by Orlando di Lasso.
Josse De Pauw _direction, concept & adaptation_
Michel de Ghelderode _text_
Josse De Pauw _translation_
Orlando di Lasso / George Alexander van Dam _music_
Jens Van Durme _music choice_
Herman Sorgeloos _scenery & light_
Greta Goris _costums_
Josse De Pauw (the king), Dirk Roofthooft (the fool),
Louis van der Waal (the monk), Nordine Benchorf (the executioner) _actors_
*Collegium Vocale Gent* _choir_
*Escorial*
Death wanders around the palace. The king has poisoned his queen. Their jester, who was her lover, is devastated by grief. The dogs howl and whine incessantly; the bells toll for the deceased. The king sits on his throne, with his fingers in his ears. And then the jester suggests they switch roles, to pass the time: just for a while the King will be the jester and the jester the king. The king consents. In the meantime, the king’s executioner skulks through the hallways of the palace, and the monks pray for the peaceful repose of the queen’s soul.
‘Escorial is a tragic farce about power and boredom, violence and indifference. And, it’s about the love of the jester. This macabre play by Michel de Ghelderode, which was the inspiration for Ligeti’s opera ‘Le Grand Macabre’, is brought to life with four actors and twelve singers on stage. You’ll hear new compositions for a cappella voices, inspired by the sounds of barking dogs, church bells, and insane laughter, with the addition of sixteenth-century hymns. Josse de Pauw has wanted to bring this text to the stage ever since his days as a student at the conservatory. Now he’s getting the chance.
A production of “Muziektheater Transparant”:http://www.transparant.be in joint production with deSingel, Collegium Vocale Gent, KlaraFestival, Zeeland Nazomerfestival en Opéra de Lille