MEDIATHEK

Opera-circus “BABYLON” is a story of birth and death of metaphoric “tower”. It is based on Biblical legend about conflict between man and God, extrapolated on urban tragedy of the modern city.

The mix of languages and peoples is transmitted by the mix of contrasting musical styles: avant-garde and pseudo-baroque, trip-hop and rock, shamanic folk and electronic techno, allusions to Italian opera and French chanson.

The opera’s libretto is based on Biblical texts (The Book of Genesis, Apocalypse) with allusions to Old Greek Mythology (the image of Cassandra) and present-day literary texts (Viktor Pelevin’s «Generation P»). The vocal part uses the texts of folk songs, Latin prayers, words and verbal constructions from 19 different languages (including Mongolian and Chinese).
 
The structure of opera-circus is a parody on classic XIX century-opera. It includes the overture, alternating pathetic choral and dance scenes, arias, duets and ensembles. The show’s staging combines the elements of circus, performance, and instrumental theatre which are united by dynamic lightening, VJing, and eclectic costumes.
 
The variety of vocal techniques (classical singing, throat singing, jazz improvisation, folk vocal) is mixed with the sound of instruments: prepared piano, toy piano, French horn, bass-clarinet, double bass, cello, guitar and urban drum-set.