«Schweben»

Gare du Nord opens the 26/27 season with «Schweben». The evening brings together two musical theatre works which, using vastly different methods, follow a similar movement: the attempt to suspend gravity for a moment.

The VR opera «Ascension» takes the experience of rising and floating as its starting point, transporting the audience into a virtual environment that lies somewhere between weightlessness and inner contemplation. Inspired by the principle of the floating tank, it directs perception inwards and explores the relationship between reason and emotion. The search for a balance between the rational and emotional self lies at the heart of the piece. Through a finely tuned combination of imagery and operatic music, the VR experience liberates the audience from the constraints of time and space. Improvised and composed vocal music, with echoes of minimal music and Renaissance vocal music, accompanies the virtual experience.

This is complemented by a piece developed by the performer and music theatre maker Thorbjörn Björnsson and the percussionist João Carlos Pacheco. Together, they seek balance and an analogue way out of the ever-present digital downward pull. This also involves the lightness that is needed to let go.

Over the course of the evening, the audience experiences both works at different locations within the Gare du Nord. Between virtual and analogue worlds, between ascent and downward pull, a space of tension emerges that links the two works and perhaps leaves the audience feeling a little as though they are floating themselves.

With

Leon Rogissart (concept/composition); Paul Boereboom (concept/XR design); Emily Adomah, Maud Niklas (performance); Dries Himpe (technical direction); Muziektheater Transparant (production); De Grote Post (co-production); UpscaleXR (technical production)

Thorbjörn Björnsson, João Carlos Pacheco (Music/Performance/Concept); Andreas Eduardo Frank (Concept/Dramaturgy)

Program

Concert halll: Leon Rogissart (*1995): «Ascension» (2023)
Bar du Nord: Stage production by Thorbjörn Björnsson and João Carlos Pacheco

Info

Special notes: Contains strobe lights and stage smoke.

«Ascension»: With the support of the Flemish Ministry, the Dutch Embassy in Brussels and the City of Rotterdam.