'The heart is the conductor of our body. The rhythm at which our heart beats determines how our other organs are supplied with blood, how healthy they are, how our brain is oxygenated and thus how we feel,' says cardiologist Nathalie Meyten of ZAS (Hospital Network Antwerpen). 'For the well-being of that all-important organ, prevention is vital. 'Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of death, so heart screening should be higher on the agenda. Music can help relax our hearts and make them stronger. Scientific research shows that.'
Classical music, as well as opera, clearly does our hearts good: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen is also convinced of that. 'Opera is the medium to process emotions,' says Jan Vandenhouwe, artistic director of OBV. 'The combination of the story, the staging, the live music and the vulnerability of the human voice, speaks directly to the heart.'
Together, OBV and ZAS want to encourage the general public to pay extra attention to our hearts. No opera is more suited to this than Verdi's Ernani. In it, the composer focuses more than ever on the emotional world of the characters. In Barbora Horáková Joly's direction, this is made visible on stage by an enormous beating heart.
