canto amor

Luzerner Zeitung

canto amor, KKL Luzern, 11 november 2012

PDF (in German)

Bericht Luzerner Zeitung

Luzerner Zeitung, 14.11.2012

Tele M1

TeleM1 vom saturday, 10 of november 2012

«canto amor», Kurtheater Baden, Switzerland

Adrian Remund, Bericht / Joël Hunziker, Schnitt, Tele M1, 10.11.2012

Magazin «Tanz»

“Death is great. We belong to him, merry with laughter…,” a soprano voice hums in a melismatic melody. At the same time, Death proudly whirls across the dark stage, his demeanor magisterial and fascinating like that of a Spanish grandee. Rainer Maria Rilke’s poetry and flamenco dance blend in a most unusual way in this production, which resembles Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s mythical theater much more than it resembles the virtuoso performances of a Joaquin Cortes.

Together with her dance company Flamencos en route Swiss choreographer Brigitta Luisa Merki has spent years perfecting the dramatization of the flamenco dance. Using expressive, articulate images she now retells the myth of Orpheus according to Rilke’s interpretation, which focuses on the netherworld. While doing so, she never loses sight of the fact that Spanish folklore is deeply rooted in tradition and is an art that has grown out of the collaborative creative efforts of communities. Merki complements the traditional accompaniments, guitars and percussion, with a classical singer and a nyckelharpa, a Swedish string instrument equipped with keys.

Thus, old instruments and modern sounds, classical singing and the gruff laments of the flamenco, traditional and modern dance forms blend together. With her dancing, Eurydice – played by charismatic Algerian performer Karima Nayt – tries to tempt her lover; with her singing she consoles him after her death. The nyckelharpa is a constant companion to Orpheus (José Moro), who is full of joie de vivre. The instrument effectively fiddles nymphs and shepherds onto the stage and later mourns with him in the warm light of the netherworld, from which Eurydice, just like in Rilke’s poems, does not want to return. The softly glowing, natural colors of the stage, the costumes, and the light all complement the suggestive, precise images.

Merki integrates the vocabulary and the structures of the flamenco into her art. In particular, she works its rapid intensifications into her dramaturgy, thus creating high-spirited, enraged or demonic moods and astounding effects. In a very organic manner she complements the traditional Alegrias and Zapateados with jumps and affectionately performed lifts. Adornments transform into animated gestures, the flamenco turns into Dance Theater. Orpheus’ talons quietly stroke the floor and tell of his love; the arms of the dancers move in more symbolic fashion as well, without ever crossing over into pantomime, however. Most of the time, the women dance barefoot in a modern, free style. Sometimes the entire ensemble lies on the stage or breaks into rhythmic recitations.

Death transforms Eurydice, originally a frolicsome young woman, into an incomprehensible character lost in reverie. Death, masterfully danced by Eloy Aguilar, interrupts the carefree festivities with his harsh, calculated movements, thus spreading fear and terror. At the end, however, he no longer represents a threat; instead, he reveals himself as an enticing seducer, triumphant in his dark beauty, openly and happily accepted by the dancers, who are, just like the ones in Rilke’s poem, “merry with laughter”.

Angela Reinhardt, Magazin «Tanz», 01.08.2012

Stuttgarter Zeitung

March 5, 2012 Stuttgarter Zeitung, Claudia Gass

...

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been interpreted in many different ways, both through the medium of dance as well as opera; an excellent example is the legendary adaption by Pina Bausch's Tanztheater ...
Considering the myth's rich history, is it still possible to surprise and convince an audience with an original interpretation? It is indeed. Granted, flamenco dance all by itself is an unusual medium to portray the Orpheus myth, but it is not the primary reason for the originality of Merki's interpretation. For that stems from the impressive and apparent way in which she integrates various styles of music into the narrative. In addition to the unique interpretation she adds an unusual twist to the story: Eurydice does not want to return to life; she prefers to stay in paradise.
... 

The intense interplay of dance and music creates powerful, atmospheric, and nearly irresistible images. The fact that Eurydice (Karima Nayt) sings and dances is not the only unusual aspect of this production. Instead, much of its special charm originates from the way the musicians – two guitarists, one percussionist, and Erik Rydvall, who plays a violin-like instrument, (all subtly integrated into the narrative) – and the wonderful singer Eva Nievergelt accompany and virtually enmesh the seven dancers, both male and female, with their singing and playing. Undeniably, Merki's production does not just mix various forms of art, but represents a successful total work of art.

Translation into English: Liselotte Kuster

Claudia Gass, Stuttgarter Zeitung, 05.03.2012

Esslinger Zeitung

March 5, 2012 © Esslinger Zeitung, Angela Reinhardt

Eurydice Does Not Want to Return

The Myth of Orpheus Performed by Flamencos en route at the Stuttgarter Theaterhaus

The Stuttgart theater audience's enthusiastic reactions to dance performances are well known. However, not even Gauthier Dance has thus far experienced this kind of spontaneous, unanimous eruption of elated applause. For two weeks, the Swiss dance company Flamencos en route is guest performer at the Stuttgarter Theaterhaus (Stuttgart Theater), presenting its wonderfully original interpretation of the myth of Orpheus, a dance theater production featuring strong, poetic images created by Brigitta Luisa Merki.

In essence, "Orpheus. Eurydice. Paradise"is a musical theater production featuring folkloric and operatic songs; old musical instruments mixed in with modern sounds; flamenco dance and free-form dancing. Merki's oeuvre is similar to the work of Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (a global citizen when it comes to choreography), but simpler and down to earth rather than intellectually playful. Through a fusion of various styles and time periods Merki creates a new form of mythical theater with a precise symbolic language. Although Merki's mythical theater is dominated by the vocabulary of the flamenco dance, its expressive quality far surpasses the range of moods and virtuosity portrayed by the dance.

The usual musical spectrum for flamenco performances - guitars, percussion and song - has clearly been expanded by the addition of the Nyckelharpa, for example, a Swedish string instrument with keys, which accompanies Orpheus, the singer. Another addition to the usual spectrum is classical singer Eva Nievergelt with her melismatic contributions. Her classical voice contrasts in mysterious ways with the dark, raucous voice of Algerian dancer Karima Nayt, who, in the role of Eurydice, enchants Orpheus with her dancing and consoles him with her singing.

Festival of the Nymphs

The square dance area is bordered by abstract rocks in the back and by four low steles on each side. Atmospheric flood light illuminates every scene of the 75-minute-long performance, from the colorful spring atmosphere during the festival of the nymphs, to the dark waters of the River Styx, and the warm orange glow of the netherworld, from which Eurydice no longer wants to return. Merki models her Eurydice after Rainer Maria Rilke's interpretation of the myth, where Eurydice - originally full of life - is transformed by death into an almost angelic creature. Death, magnificently danced by Eloy Aguilar, appears domineering and fear-instilling as he whirls into the middle of the festivities. However, rather than a menacing figure, he is a seductive tempter in a dark cloak. While the men - including Orpheus (José Moro) with his Mediterranean zest for life - mainly express themselves in typical flamenco style with their clacking heels and upright, rigid postures, the women dance predominantly in a modern, free style, and barefoot. Frequent lifts and long jumps are unknown to flamenco, and sometimes the entire ensemble actually lies on the floor instead. Yet, the choreographer keeps increasing the tempo to a racing pace, just like in the national dance, and every time she does so, the dynamics of the action become even more intense.

Again and again, Merki is able to create varying moods for her flamenco productions, moods that span from the pastoral and innocent lightheartedness of the nymphs to the cold and calculating darkness of death, whose slow and deliberate turns gradually grow into a whirling frenzy. Even the lament of Orpheus grieving for his beloved can be expressed through the delicate hand gestures of the Spanish dance. Without resorting to pantomime, Merki tells a tale of love, sorrow and metamorphosis. She even has the performers portray the prohibition to speak in the realm of shadows, thus proving that it is possible to tell stories in a dance style that is pure and virtuosic as well as extremely formalized. At times, the viewer wishes that Christian Spuck, whose attempts at telling stories by using dance as the medium proved unsuccessful in his production of "Fräulein von S.", could have seen this.

Near the end of the performance, the soprano's almost unearthly-sounding voice rises above the sounds of the Spanish guitars, quoting the words of a Rilke poem: "Death is immense. We all are his with laughing mouths ..."¹ The music of the four brilliant musicians almost evokes the music of Gustav Mahler at this point. At the end of the performance, death triumphs in his dark beauty, and all the performers join him and dance with him full of joy, thus accepting him openly and happily.

Translation into English: Liselotte Kuster

^{¹ Translation into English quoted from "The Oxford Handbook of Human Motivation" by Richard M. Ryan, published by Oxford University Press, Oxford 2012, p. 59}

Angela Reinhardt, Esslinger Zeitung , 05.03.2012