We explore relationships between sound and space, and the role of the audience in experiencing these. We want to create a musical landscape, a musical environment, in a refined way in which stillness, tranquility and space get their place. We also like to work more in public space and have reality in our work.
The setting of the opera Signal is a public urban space or landscape. This opera is composed upon the instrument and sound art piece S.I.G.N.A.L., a spatial soundwork that the audience can roam around in, spanning large environments.
What is great about this is its enormous scale. We devised this work specifically to function over considerable distances in the open air. We use up to 24 long-throw speakers., these are like the stadium speakers that give announcements.
The first edition took place at Oerol Terschelling NL, Signal at Dusk (Signaal bij Schemerdonker), here is a short impression:
Landscape opera Signal at Dusk is expanded into a serie of compositions, acts, performed live by soprano’s surrounded by a disembodied choir emanating from the long-throw speakers, an outdoor performance that guides the spectators along.
The human voice, like no other musical instrument, is capable of immediately entrancing people, making connections. The singing voice can manifest as a powerful surrogate for catalysis and reflection. Singing voices, and their adaptations with electronic and digital tools, determine our sound to a large extent.
We are working with a number of renowned sopranos and altos, including (images in the following order) Bauwien van der Meer, Linde Schinkel, Els Mondelaers, Michaela Riener, Isabelle Storms, Mijke Sekhuis, Daniëlla Buijck and Kathelijn van Dongen.
impressions of other editions, Signal at Haanwijk in The Netherlands and Signal á Arbas in Midi-Pyrenees FR:
Facebook
Instagram
Vimeo