World premiere:
This klezmer opera by Tadeusz Kassatti was first performed at "Halles de Sierre", (Sierre - Switzerland) and at the Alhambra Hall, Geneva, during 2003.
The theme: the Moon breaks down and comes to earth to a small quite provincial town in order to be repaired by a famous watchmaker. The watchmaker's wife, who is young and disenchanted falls in love with the Moon, but the Moon pushes back her advances, reproaching beautiful Amandine for her lack of knowledge about physics and astronomy...
Beata Obertynska
The Poetess: Beata Obertynska (1898 - 1980) made her literary beginnings in the press in 1924. In the thirties she was prominent in the theatre scene in Lvov. At the beginning of the Second World War, Obertynska was imprisoned by the Soviet political police and spent two years in prisons and concentration camps. In 1942 she was able to leave the USSR and she took part in military campaigns with the Polish Army in the near East and in Italy. After the war she settled in London.
The reason for choosing the text: When I first read Beata Obertynska's poem I was struck by its strong musical nature. In a sense the poem itself convinced me to translate it into music! A comparison can be made between the world of this Polish poet and the work of Marc Chagall: in order to express her poetic vision Obertynska has created a mythology - as has Marc Chagall in his paintings. Their common topics are marriage, love and death.
The text is a firework of imagination, full of allusions to literary conventions. Nevertheless the poem maintains a unity of style. Rooted in the romantic tradition, the text cultivates a sense of irony which feels modern and yet seduces by its old fashioned charm. The music composition mirrors the variety of literary styles and draws on various traditions, from street music to the music halls our grandparents, and from jazz to klezmer. (T.K.).
The Cast:
Soloists:
The Moon: Claude Darbellay, The Watchmaker: Gilles Bersier, Amandine: Audrey Michael,
Compagnie Avant-scene:
The Moon: Angelo delo Iacono, Amandine: Luciana Reolon, Cinderella: Nina Traber, the Watchmaker: Olivier Hurni,
Orchestra of Opéra du Rhône:
Anara Baimukhambetova, violin - Philippe Ehinger, clarinet -Aline Roy, accordion - Christophe Leu, guitar - Michel Veillon, d.basse - Alain Bertholet, trumpet - Yannick Barman, trumpet - Jean-Charles Masurier, horn - Johan Jacquemettaz, trombone - Germain Buscaglia, tuba.
Conductor: Pascal Emonet
Director: Florian Schmocker
Lights: Didier Rocipon
Costumes: Corinne Baeriswyl
Choreography: Jânia Batista
Some pictures from the rehearsals:
 The moon... |
 ...The watchmaker and his wife |
 Pascal Emonet (conductor) |
 Audrey Michael (Amandine) |
 Jânia Batista (choreographer), Florian Schmocker (director) |