Aquarius

Aquarius, an opera with a symphonic orchestra and sixteen vocal soloists, on which he began work in 1983, signified a change of direction in his music. Communication with a wide audience was at the forefront.

‘Aquarius is the drama of society, not of the individual’, explains the composer. There is no hierarchy among the sixteen soloists. Together with the dancers, they perform a collective quest for the ideal society. Goeyvaerts’ work is based on various sources: Marilyn Ferguson’s The Aquarian Conspiracy – an essay on personal and social transformation in the 1980s – the astrological theory of epochs, in anticipation of the age of Aquarius or the Water Carrier, and John’s Apocalypse.

John’s vision of the New Jerusalem is the endpoint of the opera – an end that bathes in ‘complete peace and radiant harmony’ (Goeyvaerts). Preceding this harmonious world is an inquisitive quest that is translated into an alternatively dynamic and introspective musical passage which is determined by repetitive techniques and an innovative handling of consonance.

With impressive theatrical productions of work by Claude Vivier and John Tavener, the director Pierre Audi demonstrates his special affinity for music that goes beyond the worldly and everyday – music with cosmic aspirations. Following the example of Goeyvaerts’ own instructions, dance receives a central place in the performance, as evidenced by the recruitment of the renowned Israeli choreographer Inbal Pinto for this production.

The presence of the British conductor Sian Edwards, who has already conducted the first performances of several contemporary works, guarantees a probing interpretation of the score.