Flanders Fields

Dialogue - Linked in ‘dualitude’

This 1971 creation had a special meaning for Jeanne. She wrote the scenario herself, on the theme of a conflict between older lovers. Tempers may run high, but the commitment is never broken. Brabants creates discord between movement and music, but time and again harmony is restored. For this ballet, Jeanne Brabants chose Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910) by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, for which he was inspired by the solid yet surprising architecture of Gloucester cathedral. The costumes and stage set are made to the original design by Mimi Peetermans, who also died in the spring of 2014.

In Flanders Fields - Heroes of the heart

For In Flanders Fields, the dancer and choreographer Ricardo Amarante was inspired by the poem of the same name by the Canadian military doctor and poet John McCrae. The way Amarante weaves these elements into his ballet is sublime. In his own neo-classical style he pays a contemporary tribute to the heroes of that time and those who stayed behind. The music, inspired by Rachmaninov, was created by the young composer Sayo Kosugi, who works in New York. Her work is described as extremely sensitive and universal. Kosugi is already known as one of Japan’s leading composers of her generation.

Forgotten land (replaces Outlier)

Forgotten Land is een meesterwerk van de Tsjechische choreograaf Jirí Kylián op Benjamin Brittens indrukwekkende Sinfonia da Requiem (hier live gespeeld door het Symfonisch Orkest van Opera Vlaanderen). Kylián liet zich voor zijn choreografie onder meer inspireren door een schilderij van Edvard Munch met drie vrouwen in verschillende stadia van hun leven. Ook de kustlijn van East Anglia, waar Britten geboren werd, was een bron van inspiratie: deze kust verdwijnt langzaam maar zeker onder de zeespiegel en verandert, net als menselijke relaties, voortdurend. Met Forgotten Land creëerde Kylián een verhaal over emoties, over verloren waarden, geliefden en verloren tijd. En zo is ook de gruwel van de eerste wereldoorlog met zijn talloze naamloze doden, die alleen in de herinnering van anderen voortleven, hier niet veraf.