Samstag aus Licht

Opera

Samstag aus Licht (Saturday from Light) is a part of a series of seven operas to which Stockhausen dedicated all his work between 1977 and 2003. Every opera in Licht is dedicated to a day of the week, its corresponding planet, and a strict organization of the symbolism and ritual. Placed in the orbit of Saturn, Saturday is the day of Lucifer, and, according to the composer, the day of death, of the dance of death, of goodbye, and of the passage to light. Lucifer is represented by a bass, a trombone player, and a dancer; he incarnated one of the archetypes of the full work, opposite Eva and Michael. On stage, a blaze of music and visuals: ceremony, incantation, childhood nightmares share this day that ends beyond the Cité de la musique in the  Saint Jacques Saint Christophe church, with Lucifer’s farewells, the flight of the crows, and breaking nutshells. A poetic and sonic creations, choreographic and visual, carried by the artistic forces and total commitment of the Balcon.

Le Balcon – chorus and ensemble
Orchestre d’harmonie du Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Paris
Chœur de l’Armée française
Maxime Pascal musical direction and conception
Damien Bigourdan stage direction and conception
Nieto visual creation and conception
Florent Derex sound projection
Pascale Lavandier costumes
Myrtille Debièvre set design
Marguerite Lantz property master
Catherine Verheyde lighting design
Agathe Cemin assistant director

Interpreters
Damien Pass bass (Lucifer)
Alphonse Cemin piano (Lucifer’s Dream Player)
Claire Luquiens, Julie Brunet-Jailly flute (Black Cat Kathinka)
Alice Caubit [sight], Akino Kamiya [hearing], Frédéric Blondy [smell], Arthur Lavandier [taste], Othman Louati [touch], Clotilde Lacroix [thought] (The Six Mortal Senses)
Emmanuelle Grach (Ribbon Dancer)
Henri Deléger trompette (Michael)
Mathieu Adam trombone (Diabolical Wind Player)
Guy Didier organ
Emilie Fleury chorus master

KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN SAMSTAG AUS LICHT

A Le Balcon, IRCAM – Centre Pompidou, Philharmonie de Paris coproduction.