Interview Ola Mafaalani
Category Archive:News
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Interview Ola Mafaalani
Comments Off on Interview Ola MafaalaniShe is also called the Empress of theatrical fantasy. Ola Mafaalani directs A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten, based on the famous comedy by William Shakespeare. In her direction, not only all senses but also essential issues are addressed. “This opera shows how cruel we can be in the name of love.”
You are a well-known and idiosyncratic theater director. This is your second opera direction and debut with Opera Zuid. How did it come your way?
‘I am often told that I direct theater as if it were opera. I can’t read a note, but I feel the music. You can see that musical rhythm in the editing, the light and the texts in my performances. When I said that I would like to direct a film or opera, invitations immediately followed.’
How do you feel about Benjamin Britten’s music?
‘His music is very minimalistic and only indicates something, an androgynous tone color that fills in almost nothing. As a listener you float and color the music with your own biography of love. Like a dish that smells delicious, but only reveals itself on your tongue.’
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is not only a treat for the eyes and ears, but for all the senses. Why choose this approach?
‘When I see something, an experience flows through my body. I don’t have a language to express that feeling, but the tonal layers in music have exactly the same frequency. That’s why I’m such an opera lover; opera has the language to represent all sensory experiences.’
What do you hope to achieve with this sensory experience for the audience?
‘The children’s choir doesn’t just come on and sing, but bake and cook while singing. Together with a cook they melt chocolate and play with it, flour flies around. It is my association with unconditional love as experienced by children. They do not yet know the romantic love the play is about. When you see those children at work, you yourself experience that full love for everything around you. It is my need to let this opera be your own love affair. Opera did not originate as an elitist art form. It started in the middle of society as a translation of a normal life like yours and mine.’
What does A Midsummer Night’s Dream say about our lives?
‘This opera describes our love life in all its forms and is about what we cannot see. It is a dream in which nightmare and paradise alternate. Fairy King Oberon’s drop of magic juice is our own life situation. Do you know why you fall in love with one and not the other? Love is just as Britten and Shakespeare describe it: an inexplicable drop.’
Beautiful is not enough for you. What essential issue do you think A Midsummer Night’s Dream addresses?
‘A Midsummer Night’s is a social piece about selfishness within love. It’s not for nothing that it starts with a fight divorce over a young child. And what about the law that decides who you can love? That has nothing to do with love. The opera shows how cruel we can be in the name of love. We can make our partner’s life hell and still say “I love you”. But these words carry an obligation. That goes for all your relationships. And here lies the connection with society. A politician, for example, has an integrity obligation towards his citizens. Don’t just think about your career, but also about the for whom and why of your actions.’
You have often directed plays by Shakespeare. What does he mean to you?
‘I have been in love with Shakespeare for so long, a man full of playfulness, vitality and poetry. In high school, we read Shakespeare sonnets in English class and I couldn’t understand a word of it. And yet I was enchanted, because his words touched my soul. Now that I’m working on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I feel like a medium of Shakespeare. I can’t talk to him, but I can interpret his texts and build on them. We are a team. I go to bed with him and wake up with him every day. And Britten is in between.’ Ola Mafaalani laughs exuberantly. “Monogamy became polygamy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’
For more information about A Midsummer Night’s Dream, click here.
Interview: Manon Berns
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Cancellation of performances Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice in Maastricht and Eindhoven
Comments Off on Cancellation of performances Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice in Maastricht and EindhovenCovid-19 is throwing a spanner in the works regarding the performances on March 11, 12 and 13 in Maastricht, which we have to cancel due to illness. The intended playground in Eindhoven, the Microlab at Strijp S, has been designated by the municipality as a reception location for refugees from the Ukraine. We regret that we also have to cancel the performances on March 18, 19 and 20 in Eindhoven, but of course we fully understand the decision of the municipal council.
It is being investigated whether the performances can be resumed at a later stage.
Visitors who have already purchased tickets will be reimbursed for the purchase amount via the Theater aan het Vrijthof and the Parktheater Eindhoven.
O | A | E is a co-production of Opera Zuid, Nederlandse Reisopera, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, M31 Foundation and WeMakeVR.
More inforamtion about O | A | E.
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Opbrengsten O | A | E naar Hart voor Oekraïne
Comments Off on Opbrengsten O | A | E naar Hart voor OekraïneZoals velen zijn wij diep geschokt door de ontwikkelingen in Oekraïne. We maken ons grote zorgen over de gevolgen van de grootscheepse vijandelijkheden in Oekraïne voor de inwoners van het land. Om hen te steunen doneren alle vijf partners de opbrengsten van de Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice voorstellingen tijdens het Opera Forward Festival aan Giro 555 van de Samenwerkende Hulporganisaties voor de opvang van Oekraïense vluchtelingen. Wij nodigen je uit om zelf ook een bijdrage te doen op Giro 555. Doneer hier.
Deze actie is onderdeel van de landelijke campagne 🧡rt for Ukraine van het culturele veld.
Tijdens O | A | E kies jijzelf door wiens ogen je het liefdesverhaal beleeft: zanger en gitarist Orphée (inclusief VR-bril!) óf danseres Eurydice. De derde ervaring, Amour, is inbegrepen bij de tickets van beide perspectieven.
5 t/m 7 maart is OAE te beleven tijdens het Opera Forward Festival. Volgende week zaterdag en zondag is OAE te zien in onze eigen Studio Malpertuis!INFO&TICKETS: operazuid.nl/o-a-e
Coproductie met Nederlandse Reisopera, De Nationale Opera – Dutch National Opera, WeMakeVR en M31 Foundation. -
Annulering première Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice
Comments Off on Annulering première Orphée | L’Amour | EurydiceIn verband met de verwachte storm Eunice zijn helaas de vier voorstellingen van O|A|E op vrijdag 18 februari gecanceld. Bezoekers krijgen hierover bericht. De geplande voorstellingen van zaterdag 19 en zondag 20 februari in Enschede gaan wel gewoon door.
Overige tourdata zijn hier te vinden.
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Orphée | l’Amour | Eurydice on tour!
Comments Off on Orphée | l’Amour | Eurydice on tour!What does love look like today? Inspired by Christoph Willibald Gluck’s opera Orphée et Eurydice, opera maker Robin Coops and VR pioneer Avinash Changa investigate in a three-part opera experience.
In this version of the myth, Orpheus and Eurydice are not separated by death, but by a fate that affects many present-day relationships: the lovers have lost each other. They no longer communicate directly with each other, only via text message with L’Amour, the personification of love, who also no longer knows how to properly fulfill their role as mediator.
Orphée | L’Amour | Eurydice is a collaboration project between the Nederlandse Reisopera, Dutch National Opera and Opera Zuid in the field of talent development, in co-production with WeMakeVR and M31 Foundation.
INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/o-a-e
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Tenor Rafael Rojas passed away
Comments Off on Tenor Rafael Rojas passed awayThe sad news reached us that Tenor Rafael Rojas has passed away at the age of 59. Rojas, born in Mexico, sang the role of Dick Johnson/Ramerrez in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West with Opera Zuid in 2001. We wish his loved ones a lot of strength with this loss.
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Interview with director Julien Chavaz
Comments Off on Interview with director Julien ChavazRoméo et Juliette is a love story between two people from rival families. Director Julien Chavaz turned the opera into a contemporary love story. A story of today! “In my production I play with the question of what you can and cannot show in public.”
How do you bring this time-honored love story to the present day?
“In my experience, Romeo et Juliette is about the constant field of tension between public and private. In directing we play with these different perspectives. One moment you are witnessing everything from the two families, who are fighting each other in public. Then to switch to the intimate perspective of Roméo and Juliette, who meet in secret. The decor is also based on this change of perspective. It’s like looking out the window one minute and surveying the entire city and peeking through a keyhole the next.”
How does this compare to our time where social media makes just about everything public?
‘In the piece I reflect on the question of what you can and cannot show in public. We are used to everyone displaying their entire life on Instagram and Facebook. I occasionally drop a curtain on stage, behind which characters disappear. The audience hears that something is happening, but is not part of it. That arouses curiosity.”
As a director you are known for giving rhythm to an opera. How do you do that in this opera?
First of all, the rhythm must be in balance between the large choral scenes and the intimate solo singing, but also between the musical transitions between the scenes. I use these musical transitions without vocals to tell more than is written on paper. I show the story from a different perspective and have characters come back to create magic and mystery. The audience gets to know the characters in a more intimate way than is possible in the action-oriented storyline. Thanks to the magic and mystery, despite knowing the storyline, the audience continues to ask themselves questions.”
Does this mean that the opera is a recreation of Roméo et Juliette?
‘I make all these choices about rhythm and structure together with the conductor. While we should not lose sight of the fact that the original material of this opera is, of course, already Gounod’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s text. That makes opera art. In my view, art is the constant reassembly and transformation of existing material. An opera is never finished, it is an ongoing process.”
What role do the singers play in this transformation?
In this opera, the body language of the singers is fundamental. An opera can only take the listener on a three-hour journey if the singer’s body is completely connected to the music and lyrics. Opera singers are not ballet dancers, so what matters to me is that singers use their bodies in a personal and abstract way. What I hear, I want to see reflected in the bodies. Only in this way does the energy come across to the public. Otherwise you might as well listen to a CD.”
INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette
Interview: Manon Berns
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Update impact new corona-measurements tourdates
Comments Off on Update impact new corona-measurements tourdatesDue to the Covid-19 measures announced by the Dutch government on Saturday 18 December. the planned shows of Buurt Opera Malpertuis on Thursday 23 December and the performances of Goud! will unfortunately not take place at Dutch National Opera & Ballet until 14 January.
Registered visitors to the shows of Buurt Opera Malpertuis will be informed personally by Opera Zuid. Ticket Holders of Gold! will be contacted by Dutch National Opera & Ballet.
We hope to be able to play a next edition live for you in the new year together with the participants of Buurt Opera Malpertuis. The planned Dutch Gold! tour in spring 2022 will continue as usual for the time being.
We would like to thank you for your understanding.
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Update tour Roméo et Juliette
Comments Off on Update tour Roméo et JulietteOn Friday, November 26, the cabinet of the Dutch government held a Covid-19 press conference announcing new measures to further contain the pandemic. As a result, non-essential sectors must be closed from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for three weeks from Sunday, November 28. This means that the catering industry, gyms, shops and theaters will close earlier.
Unfortunately, these measures have a direct effect on the course of the tour of our opera production Roméo et Juliette, since the performances are without exception scheduled in the evening. The dates scheduled from Sunday 28 November will therefore be cancelled.
On Saturday November 27, Roméo et Juliette will be seen live for the last time, in Parktheater Eindhoven, at 20:00.
We hope to see you at the performance on Saturday!
TICKETS & INFO www.operazuid.nl/romeo-et-juliette
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Interview met regisseur Julien Chavaz
Comments Off on Interview met regisseur Julien ChavazRoméo et Juliette is een liefdesverhaal tussen twee mensen uit rivaliserende families. Regisseur Julien Chavaz maakte van de opera een eigentijds liefdesverhaal. Een verhaal van nu! ‘In mijn regie speel ik met de vraag wat je wel en niet in het openbaar laat zien.’
Hoe til je dit aloude liefdesverhaal naar de huidige tijd?
‘Roméo et Juliette gaat in mijn beleving over het voortdurende spanningsveld tussen publiek en privé. In de regie spelen we met deze verschillende perspectieven. Het ene moment neem je alles waar vanuit de twee families, die elkaar in het openbaar bevechten. Om vervolgens naar het intieme perspectief van Roméo en Juliette te switchen, die elkaar in het geheim ontmoeten. Ook het decor is gebaseerd op deze wisseling van perspectief. Alsof je het ene moment uit het raam kijkt en de hele stad overziet en het volgende moment door een sleutelgat gluurt.’
Hoe verhoudt zich dit tot onze tijd waarin door sociale media zo ongeveer alles openbaar is?
‘In het stuk reflecteer ik op de vraag wat je wel en niet in het openbaar laat zien. We zijn het gewend dat iedereen zijn hele leven op Instagram en Facebook etaleert. Ik laat op het podium af en toe een gordijn vallen, waarachter karakters verdwijnen. Het publiek hoort dat er zich iets afspeelt, maar is er geen deelgenoot van. Dat wekt nieuwsgierigheid op.’
Je staat er als regisseur om bekend dat je ritme aan een opera geeft. Hoe doe je dat in deze opera?
‘Allereerst moet het ritme tussen de grote koorscènes en de intieme solozang in balans zijn, maar ook tussen de muzikale overgangen tussen de scènes. Deze muzikale overgangen zonder zang gebruik ik om meer te vertellen dan er op papier staat. Ik laat het verhaal vanuit een ander perspectief zien en laat karakters terugkomen om magie en mysterie te creëren. Het publiek leert de personages hierdoor op een intiemere manier kennen dan in de op actie gerichte verhaallijn mogelijk is. Dankzij de magie en het mysterie blijft het publiek, ondanks het feit dat ze de verhaallijn kennen, zichzelf toch vragen stellen.’
Betekent dit dat de opera een herschepping van Roméo et Juliette is?
‘Al deze keuzes over ritme en structuur maak ik samen met de dirigent. Waarbij we niet uit het oog verliezen dat het originele materiaal van deze opera natuurlijk al een interpretatie van Gounod van de tekst van Shakespeare is. Dat maakt opera tot kunst. Kunst is in mijn ogen het constant opnieuw in elkaar zetten en transformeren van bestaand materiaal. Een opera is nooit af, het is een voortdurend proces.’
Welke rol spelen de zangers in deze transformatie?
‘In deze opera is de lichaamstaal van de zangers fundamenteel. Een opera kan de luisteraar alleen meenemen op een reis van drie uur als het lichaam van de zanger volledig verbonden is met de muziek en tekst. Operazangers zijn geen balletdansers, dus het gaat mij erom dat zangers hun lichaam inzetten op een persoonlijke en abstracte manier. Wat ik hoor, wil ik gereflecteerd zien in de lichamen. Alleen zo komt de energie over bij het publiek. Anders kun je net zo goed naar een CD luisteren.’
INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette
Interview: Manon Berns