MEDIATHEK

An opera after the myth of Procne and Philomela

About the vicious circle of violence and cruelty. The loss of culture, language and your own place in the world. And about the special bond between sisters.

Composer Anna Mikhailova and director Isabel Schröder were introduced to each other by Sylvia Stoetzer, artistic director at the Diamantfabriek in June 2014. SISTERS was produced and commissioned by the Diamantfabriek, production house for contemporary music theatre, and premièred at December 6, 2014 at the “Muziektheaterdagen Amsterdam” at the Ostadetheater. The work was well received by press and audience. Therefor, a revival of two shows was held in May 2015.

The myth of Procne and Philomela tells in a fairy-tale-like way, how cruelty and violence arises in the minds of the people.

From the press: "SISTERS shows that atrocity can be shaped both in a poignant and in a playful way. That's all here excellently done, especially by the actor and the two singers." Max Arian, Theaterkrant.nl****

"Most beautiful are the moments when the percussionist evokes arcadian atmospheres by placing little cimbals on the ground and letting them tinkle gently. Attractive are also the selfmade electronic instruments, which are mainly played by the two sisters, that miraculously produce rather archaic than modern sounds." Thea Derks, Cultureel persbureau

“Play” is the pivot of this performance. Man plays to understand things. Performers switch between voice and text and relate in different ways to the story, sometimes completely immersed, sometimes distant, almost on the border between performer and spectator.


The music
- was created in a close collaboration between composer and director who both are seeking new forms for their ideas. - stands as in the tradition of opera through the mythical material and the combination of singing and music and within its own basis on the experiment with the sound, spoken word, vowels, rhythms, dynamic, movement, which present a new tradition of music theater, where merge of disciplines is what creates its own multiple language. - the score consists of several modules, involving the text, music and movement. Some modules are sound based, some of the modules are triggered dramatically which gives the performers space within the play. An example of this is the Tongue-less aria, where the singer (Philomela) has to express herself without tongue, finding vowels and other sounds through a string and other self-made instruments.