singendes auge > Harpsichorpheus

Harpsichorpheus 2002

made for Suite Muziekweek Amsterdam
concept and image Mendel Hardeman
music Louis Andriessen, Hanna Kulenty, Marzena Komsta, Jasna Veličković Jasna Velickovic
performed by Gośka Isphording Goska Isphording
duration 45'
original format Harpsichord opera with video, 3 actors and fire

An opera without singers, in which a harpsichord and a video projection play the main characters, commenting on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice. It started when the harpsichordist Goska Isphording asked me to join her in a program she was preparing, and the story slowly emerged during long conversations between us.

I wanted to turn the story around, or at least, the final conclusion which is usually presented. I had always heard the story ending with a sigh for poor Orpheus, who had lost his beloved Euridice forever. Never heard anyone thinking of the other side: Euridice, with her distress and rage, lost forever just because Orpheus was unable to trust her and the gods, and had turned around to look. In this way Harpsichorpheus was meant as a Requiem for Euridice. The music consisted of solo harpsichord pieces, chosen by Gośka, and the first piece was "Overture to Orpheus" by Louis Andriessen. I made a video called "Epilogue to Orpheus", to go with the music. In the video, the naked dead body of Euridice lies on white sheets, and is surrounded by three people with black robes covering their entire bodies, as burqa's. One of them carries a small jar filled with blood, and a reed. He starts writing on the dead body, in blood: "You looked back" "You looked back" "You looked back", while the other two roll the corpse over and over, in such a way that the text runs around in spiral covering the entire body, from breast to feet. The blood gradually stains the white sheet, and towards the end everything is covered in red. It finishes with the people in black wrapping the cloth around the body, as a final burial.

Then followed a piece by Hanna Kulenty called "E for E", which I subtitled "Elegy for Euridice". During this piece and the next, suddenly a curtain to the side of stage opened, and the people in black came onto stage. One of them lights a small fire floating in water and stands still in reverence, while the others come in carrying the body wrapped in white and lay it down in front of the audience. They stand next to it while the body lies in state, and after some time lift it up and go again. The fire is put off and the stage is empty. In the meanwhile, a flame appears on the lid of the harpsichord (prepared with burning gel), which leaves a text imprinted in black fire stains on the wooden lid of the instrument - "You looked back"

performance history
28.10.02, Suite Muziekweek, Muziekcentrum de IJsbreker, Amsterdam
01.05.03, de Witte Dame, Eindhoven