REQUIEM

After exploring the conditions of mass culture and entertainment with Velma Superstar, Velma is now focussing on the eternal human obsession: death. Velma has created a requiem which is – like the ancient masses – primarily about survival: survival of the dead person’s soul, of course, yet, the bereaved’s struggle for survival, for immortality becomes vital in this moment.

The musical form of the requiem was regularised in the early 20th century by the Vatican. Velma is not interested in these rules because they may be just or authentic, Velma is fascinated by their rigour. What the Pope intended by this definition was to prevent any formal digression. Music’s only duty therein was to embellish the chants and the prayers. Music could only be decorative. However, it is precisely the formal digression Velma cares about.

Velma hasn’t composed a requiem for somebody or something in particular. There’s no message either. Maybe, creating a ceremony reflects a certain dolour for societal institutions theatre seems to be a last manifestation of. Or is it the mere awareness of death as vital nerve of our existence which motivates this performance? With Requiem, Velma again mixes up the genres and creates a timeless musical ceremony.

A Velma musical performance

With : Christian Garcia-Gaucher, Christophe Jaquet, Valerie Liengme, Arantxa Martinez, Stephane Vecchione

Music: Velma

Lighting designing: Laurent Junod.

Sound designing: Ludovic Gugliemazzi.

Costumes: Tania D’Ambrogio.

Scenography: Serge Perret

Rythmic coordination: Valérie Huguenin

Production & dramaturgy: Anja Haelg.

Coproduction: Centre d’art scénique contemporain Arsenic Lausanne (CH), Theaterhaus Gessnerallee Zürich (CH), Forum Freies Theater Düsseldorf (D), Hebbel am Ufer Berlin (D), Vooruit Gent (B) and Internationaal Festival van Vlaanderen Gent (B)

With the support of: the City of Lausanne, State of Vaud, Loterie Romande, Pro Helvetia / The Swiss arts council, Migros Culture percentage, Nestlé – Fondation pour l’art, Ernst Göhner Stiftung Zug, Zuger Kulturstiftung Landis & Gyr

May, 13th, 2009, societaetstheater, Dresden (D)

November, 27-29 2008, hebbel am ufer, Berlin (D)

November 06-07, 2008, theater der kuenste, IETM, Zuerich (CH)

October, 25-26, 2008, Centralna Festival, teatr dramatyczny, Warsaw (PL)

October, 01-02, 2008, Vorruit, Ghent (B)

April 20th, 2008, Mousonturm, Plateaux festival, Frankfurt (D)

February, 21-23, 2008, ForumFreiesTheater, Dusseldorf (D)

December, 14-15th, 2007, Gessnerallee, Bern (CH)

September, 23th, 2007, Dampfzentrale, Bern (CH)

premiere, September 11th, 2007, Theatre Arsenic, Lausanne (CH)