"The guitars of death"/Auto da Catingueira | Apollo Ensemble

This will be a very special evening with "The Guitars of Death" [Portuguese: Auto da Catingueira] - a Brazilian opera (in Dutch) by the Apollo Ensemble! Come along to the colourful musical world of the interior of Brazil. The opera "the guitars of death" was written by composer Elomar Figueira Mello in the tradition of ancient Italian opera, but is also full of elements from the culture of the Sertão of Bahia: melodic and rhythmic lines, recitatives referring to ancient troubadour art and Iberian Romanticism. The story: a folk tale from Bahia The story is about Dassanta, a girl of humble origin, endowed with a beauty "even more beautiful than death" that makes her the object of lust by men (the musicians) and envy by women. Her life has become a legend. Dassanta, the daughter of a cowboy, herds her father's goats in the "field of the seven stars". She initially resents the hard and lonely life she leads, until she falls in love with a mule man, with the narrator unable to say for sure whether she is married to it or just sleeping with it... Certainly, many men are after her, making the bustling world (the city) within reach for her. But on the other hand, she feels the strong bond with her 'field of seven stars'. The work reaches its climax during a music competition, in which the musicians recognise each other as rivals for the shepherdess's love, and the animosity between them goes beyond the boundaries of musical verses, leading to violence that culminates in tragedy Tales from books on a string The Guitars of Death, or Auto da Catingueira is a cordel opera. Cordel literature is Brazilian national heritage. Cordel - string - refers to booklets hanging on a string at the fair or market. They are often old folk tales that were written down in the form of a poem and also recited or sung on the spot. This form was brought from Portugal by Portuguese settlers in the 16th century and disappeared in Europe but continued to develop in Brazil. "Auto da catingueira" consists of five such cordel booklets, which hang from the cordel as sequels. Elomar ingeniously took the story as the starting point for his poems and set it to music. His desire to have it sung in the audience's vernacular was the reason for translating it. Due to sheer beauty of these unique poems, the translation found its way to the publisher Ezo Wolf and will also be available with explanations. Photo: Leonardo Marani The Apollo Ensemble came across Elomar's work during a tour in Brazil. The idea of performing this opera with baroque instruments was immediately embraced by Elomar. Thus was born the plan for this international co-production in which the world-renowned Brazilian director, Andre Heller Lopes, guarantees a beautifully balanced direction and the Apollo Ensemble guarantees a musically strong performance. Performers: Apollo Ensemble Violin - David Rabinovich, Daphne Oltheten Recorders & oboe - Robert de Bree Double bass - Jesse Solway Bassoon - Thomas Oltheten Guitar - João Omar Harpsichord - Marion Boshuizen Singers: Dassanta - Bobbie Blommesteijn (soprano) Cantador - Nick van Kuipers (tenor) Narrator - Marcel van Dieren (baritone) Tropeiro - Hidde Kleikamp (baritone) Artistic director - David Rabinovich Direction & set, costumes - André Heller Lopes Music & lyrics - Elomar Figueira Mello Arrangement by Henrique Gomide Translation - Mendel Hardeman The Guitars of Death is sung in Dutch A short introductory film will be shown before the performance; there may be a short intermission afterwards, to be determined The opera itself has no intermission, lasting approx. 80 minutes During the evening, a Brazilian drink will of course be available at the bar! This project has been realised thanks to support from Fonds Podiumkunsten, the Cultuurfonds and Provincie Flevoland. "The guitars of death"/Auto da Catingueira | Apollo Ensemble Tickets Excl. fee Price: € 22,50 Book

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