Grensgevallen
In its permanent search for both the relevance of opera in our times ánd its ambition to encourage open, collective creation processes, Yo! Opera presented the project Grensgevallen [Borderlines] in the year 2009. The time was ripe for it: the world of 2009 was in the embrace of two crises: a climate crisis and a banking crisis, both with far reaching consequences for the lives of all people on this planet. The front pages of our newspapers were increasingly dominated by poverty and war.
Reason enough to call for a change, using artistic means. For the opera Grensgevallen, we asked ten young people from Utrecht and Berlin what they would now want to change in the world around them – on the principle that if Obama can do it, you can do it too!
The fall of the Berlin Wall, twenty years ago, was the source of inspiration for this opera. Together with a partner in Berlin – Neuköllner Oper – we went to look for five young people from Berlin who could write ten speeches together with five young people from Utrecht. These ten speeches full of dreams, on walls, borders and freedom were transformed into ten short operas, films and games which were meant to change the world. Which walls should be torn down? Which borders eliminated?
The ten libretti which came into existence were furnished with music, images and direction by students at the Utrecht and Amsterdam Hogeschool voor de Kunsten [Schools of the Arts]. Because of the diversity in both texts and backgrounds of the composers and directors, a multicoloured programme was created, consisting of 15 minute operas based on the theme 'borders'. They were about personal, social or political borders and burst with idealism.
The result was presented as the opening act of the Yo! Opera Festival 2009 and as part of the Culturele Zondagen [Cultural Sundays] in all possible locations inside the Utrecht Schouwburg. A tour through the building led hundreds of visitors along the mini operas.
Reason enough to call for a change, using artistic means. For the opera Grensgevallen, we asked ten young people from Utrecht and Berlin what they would now want to change in the world around them – on the principle that if Obama can do it, you can do it too!
The fall of the Berlin Wall, twenty years ago, was the source of inspiration for this opera. Together with a partner in Berlin – Neuköllner Oper – we went to look for five young people from Berlin who could write ten speeches together with five young people from Utrecht. These ten speeches full of dreams, on walls, borders and freedom were transformed into ten short operas, films and games which were meant to change the world. Which walls should be torn down? Which borders eliminated?
The ten libretti which came into existence were furnished with music, images and direction by students at the Utrecht and Amsterdam Hogeschool voor de Kunsten [Schools of the Arts]. Because of the diversity in both texts and backgrounds of the composers and directors, a multicoloured programme was created, consisting of 15 minute operas based on the theme 'borders'. They were about personal, social or political borders and burst with idealism.
The result was presented as the opening act of the Yo! Opera Festival 2009 and as part of the Culturele Zondagen [Cultural Sundays] in all possible locations inside the Utrecht Schouwburg. A tour through the building led hundreds of visitors along the mini operas.
