COMPOSITIONS / MUSIC THEATRE / BONSAI GARDEN (2020)
Bonsai Garden (2020)
Chamber opera
- 26 min
- N/A
- May, 2020
During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Jan-Peter de Graaff (composer) and Kenza Koutchoukali (stage director) started the initiative to create eight online miniature operas that shed light on the life behind the closed doors of the imposed ‘lockdown’ during the height of the first wave of the coronavirus in Europe. Within eight weeks time (and with two weeks of preparation) eight brand-new operas were written, composed, rehearsed, performed and filmed within solitary circumstances for everyone involved.
All operas have one thing in common: the viewer is directly communicating with the characters on ‘the other side’. Sometimes the portrayed character is aware of the fact that the camera has been switched on and there is a connection; sometimes the character isn’t aware and the viewer get’s an intimate perspective on the life behind closed doors.
PRODUCTION
| Staging | Kenza Koutchoukali |
|---|---|
| Video Editing | Zoey van der Heijden |
| Sound | Hans Erblich |
| Production | Stichting Leonore & Opera Zuid |
1. HANDS-FREE
A woman prepares for her date, while having an intimate dialogue with her voice-assistant.
| Amanda | Vera Fiselier |
|---|---|
| Piano | Ruud Zielhorst |
| Libretto | Vera Fiselier |
2. citroennier
A woman fantasises about a mysterious lemon tree appearing in her back yard.
| Soprano | Eleanor Penfold |
|---|---|
| Harp | Annemieke Breunesse |
| Libretto | Kenza Koutchoukali |
3. immortal
Facing immediate hospitalisation, a man doesn’t want to confront his own mortality…
| Baritone & Flugelhorn | Huub Claessens |
|---|---|
| Libretto | Jan-Peter de Graaff |
4. Sojourn
Plagued by her OCD, a woman fights her own battle while the world around her slowly collapses.
| Soprano | Elisabeth Hetherington |
|---|---|
| Cello | Maya Fridman |
| Libretto | Eleanor Barlow |
5. Fuori, i fuochi
A vlog featuring a woman remembering her conversation with her drug dealer before she takes a hit.
| Soprano | Ginette Puylaert |
|---|---|
| Prepared Piano | Tim Sabel |
| Libretto | Rick van Veldhuizen |
6. Sesquipedalia
A press conference or a news read, a conspiracy theory or a troll, filmed from home. All the lines blur.
| Tenor / Instruments | Georgi Sztojanov |
|---|---|
| Double Bass | Julian Sarmiento |
| Percussion | Lotje Dalmijn |
| Libretto | Eleanor Barlow |
7. Zoom
A press conference or a news read, a conspiracy theory or a troll, filmed from home. All the lines blur.
| Tenor / Instruments | Georgi Sztojanov |
|---|---|
| Double Bass | Julian Sarmiento |
| Percussion | Lotje Dalmijn |
| Libretto | Eleanor Barlow |
8. From a distance
A message filmed from home, to whom it may concern.
| Mezzo-Soprano | Eva Kroon |
|---|---|
| Bass Clarinet | Vincent Martig |
| Libretto | Yuri Robbers & Jan-Peter de Graaff |
Bonsai Garden proves again De Graaff's flair to compose appealing music. Though his melodic lines can contain large jumps in registers, they will always be followable without falling into easygoing kitsch.
Check out more
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Lock, Stock and Barrel (2024)
- Solo
Effugium (2024)
- Choral
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