Muziektheater Transparant Belgium

With a most open approach towards the possiblities of musical theatre, Transparant aspires to create opera for a new generation. The main aim is to bring together distinct genres, disciplines and ideas. Classical operas must be staged in a way relevant in today’s world, new operas should take the genre forward. Transparant pays particular attention to offering contemporary musicians the chance to develop and try new work. It has produced operas by Wim Henderickx, and worked with composers like Jan Van Outryve and Eric Sleichim. A more theatrical approach is added with directors Caroline Petrick, Wouter Van Looy and Josse De Pauw. Annelies Van Parys and Joachim Brackx, two most promising Flemish composers, are invited for a three-year residence to put their first steps in music theatre.

The productions of Transparant are touring all over the world, from the Flemish cultural centres to big international festivals including Salzburger Festspiele, Avignon Festival, Holland Festival, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, and Edinburgh International Festival.

Transparant has also played an integral part in the music programming at European Cities of Culture in Bruges, Salamanca and Lille. In Stavanger 2008, Transparant was the music theatre company in residence during February, and engaged in a profound collaboration with the local artists. An invitation for Linz 2009 signed up already. In February 2008 Muziektheater Transparant spent a whole month in Norway, in Stavanger European Cultural Capital of 2008.

Intendant Mary Miller about the Transparant: ‘A lot of artists and ensembles are coming to Stavanger to perform and show what they can do. Then they leave us. However, this is not the case with the Flemish group from Antwerp. They run Muziektheater Transparant and have plotted Stavanger on their cultural map.’ (in Stavanger Aftenblad, 03.10.07)

Unique in this international regard, is the Institute for Living Voice project, a peripatetic workshop at which singers and musicians from all musical traditions come together to hold workshops and give recitals. Students meet master singers, traditional ethnic songs meet vocal experiments. Between it’s founding in 2000 by Transparant and David Moss, the Institute welcomed between others Barbara Bonney, Christina Branco, Omar Ebrahim, Nona Henderickx, Phil Minton, Meredith Monk, and Sainko Namtchylak.

Muziektheater Transparant gave a composition assignment to the young composer Joachim Brackx. Die Entführung aus dem Paradies will be his first big musicaltheatre production with the première in the Flemish Opera in Antwerp (June 09). In it he works together with the writer and librettist Oscar van den Boogaard.

Joachim Brackx is also involved in Pour vos Beaux Yeux, a project based on a series of restored silent movies from the 1920s and 30s by the Belgian film directors Henri Storck and Charles Dekeukeleire. Apart from Joachim Brackx, the other house composers, Eric Sleichim, Annelies van Parys and Jan Van Outryve, have composed contemporary music for these films.

Other than this the focus will be on early 20th-century music: Claire Chevallier, Benoît van Innis and Josse De Pauw will appear on stage with Poulenc’s Babar and Satie’s Le Fils des Etoiles. Caroline Petrick will work on the Harawi songs by Olivier Messiaen and there will be a revival of Wolpe! - a musical-theatre production she made together with Viviane De Muynck, Johan Bossers and Gunnar Brandt-Sigurdsson.

Early musical work will be performed in Wouter Van Looy’s new production (after) The Fairy Queen (Purcell), in which the top conductor Emmanuelle Haïm and her baroque ensemble, Le Concert d’Astrée, will participate. More baroque musique can be heard in the revivals of Waar is mijn ziel? (Monteverdi) with the B’rock baroque ensemble and in RUHE (Schubert) with Collegium Vocale Gent directed by Josse De Pauw. About 45 young singers and musicians from Flanders and Friesland will be working on Rameau’s Platée for the annual youth opera workshop. All this young talent will be coached by the director Ruud Gielens and the musical supervisors Jan Van Outryve, Thomas Baeté, Ayala Sircon and Marcin Lasia.