Zonzo Compagnie is conquering the world with a series of productions that immerse you in the creative universe of an iconic composer. Bach, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Luciano Berio and John Cage have already been featured. The English baroque composer Henry Purcell is next in line.
Via a miniature version of an old theatre, we dive into the world of Henry Purcell. While Henry, as an air spirit, observes the spectacle, a singer opens the gates to the imagination. She whisks you away into dream images or ‘masques’ that Purcell created for the theatre. We hear echos of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest, King Arthur is present and Queen Mary's music sounds, until HUSH reverberates and we are silenced.
"Imaginative and free arrangements [...] supported by the lutenist Jan Van Outryve and the diatonic accordionist - truly extraordinary - Anne Niepold."
(Diario de Sevilla ****)
An accordionist and a lutenist let the music of Purcell shine in unique arrangements. With melodies and chords, they take you through the baroque landscape of the seventeenth-century composer. To interpret Henry's magical universe, a Belgian-Canadian team provides a wonderful multimedia experience.
Credits
LIESELOT DE WILDE or JULIE CALBETE soprano ANNE NIEPOLD or BENJAMIN MACKE accordion JAN VAN OUTRYVE lute HENRY PURCELL (arranged by Jan Van Outryve and Anne Niepold) music SHAKESPEARE/DRYDEN/TATE (adapted by Mélanie Dumont and Wouter Van Looy) texts WOUTER VAN LOOY direction & set design NELE FACK video JOHANNA TRUDZINSKI costumes JO THIELEMANS sound design STIJN DEMEULENAERE additional recordings MÉLANIE DUMONT dramaturg MARCELLE HUDON advice visual concept SASCHA VAN RIEL advice set design ARTHUR DE VUYST and KEVIN DECKERS technician
A production by Zonzo Compagnie in coproduction with Les Festivals de Wallonie, Opéra de Lille, Concertgebouw Brugge and Het Laatste Bedrijf. With the support of La Maison qui Chante, Flanders, the Government of Québec, Cultuur/Culture and the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. This production was created with support of the Belgian Federal Government's Tax Shelter measure, and with the help of Gallop Tax Shelter.