MEDIATHEK

Mary Stuart—a historical figure and a myth spun in the imaginations of  countless artists, writers and composers. Who was she? A remorseless killer or a pawn in the hands of a Machiavellian nobility? A tragic heroine? A pathetic failure or a victim of her times? There has been no shortage of historians who have attempted to piece together her story; but Mary's turbulent life continues to challenge them all. From the 16th C to now, her life has been an invitation to hold strong views, which are inevitably coloured by the  thoughts and desires of their own times. On trial for her life, she asked the commissioners to “Look to your consciences and remember that the theatre of the whole world is wider than the kingdom of England.” That is precisely what art has done. In art, Mary’s legacy is different each time it is reimagined, as if in a mirror which reflects a shifting shape: the complex and ambiguous shadow of her life and personality. Binon and Vanden Eynde have set out to create a consciously ahistorical and contemporary soundscape which preserves this multiplicity, combining voice, lute, piano and electronics. Mary’s significance in art provides a wealth of inspiration for exploring the complexity of the human mind and the universal emotions unleashed by her story. Passion, her profound loneliness throughout the long years of her captivity, and the oppressiveness of her historical and social position are three key points of departure for the creators of this performance.