Rite of Spring – Holland Festival

Music is usually added to film last, but it is the other way around this evening: two film makers made a film for existing compositions that will be performed live by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Cappella Amsterdam led by Karina Canellakis.

Brazilian theatre and film maker Christiane Jatahy was inspired by the composition Music in Common Time, by American composer Caroline Shaw. Greek visual artist and director Evangelia Kranioti used Stravinsky’s masterpiece The Rite of Spring as a basis. Both aim to make us think about abuses in our world with their images.

Jatahy, this Holland Festival’s associate artist, made a film for Music in Common Time, a stunning work for choir and orchestra by Caroline Shaw, with material from her enormous archive filmed for various previous projects on locations throughout the world. The Brazilian theatre and film maker lends a distinctively empathic eye to marginalised groups. At the Venice Biennale two years ago, she was awarded a Golden Lion for her oeuvre and praised as ‘an acute observer of the violent cruelty of our world’.

Stravinsky evokes social engagement as well. Greek director Evangelia Kranioti uses the iconic The Rite of Spring – a tremendous musical experience due to the large orchestra alone - as a starting point. Canellakis and ‘her’ Radio Philharmonic Orchestra reaped great praise last year with their performance of the The Rite of Spring. “The RPO thrills with its accents that defy all sense of rhythm and rain down you,” De Volkskrant wrote at the time. Kranioti’s film is a beautiful symbolic contemplation on the extremes of Western civilization that criticises modernity and colonialism. The beauty of Kranioti’s compositions [with images of natural forces and indigenous people] elevates Stravinsky’s music and leads the mind of the audience to another level of appreciation of Stravinsky’s genius.’ (Operawire)

‘I said somewhere that it was not enough to hear the music, but that it must also be seen.’

- Igor Stravinsky, Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons 1939)

Evangelia Kranioti's film is a new production of Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, in coproduction with La Philharmonie de Paris.

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composition Caroline Shaw, Igor Stravinsky choir Cappella Amsterdam concept Christiane Jatahy director Christiane Jatahy, Evangelia Kranioti camera Paulo Camacho editing Christiane Jatahy, Yann Dedet, Paulo Camacho lighting design Thomas Walgrave, Wout Panis production coordinator Henrique Mariano orchestra Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karina Canellakis performance Anisha, Welldona Mirifica, Lucilene Veloso, Gaby, Carmen Vibeke costumes Marcelo Indio (Turma do Indio) collaboration costumes Evangelia Kranioti underwater photography Geoff Coombs, Manuel Añó (prod Aqua) divers Andrew Ryzebol, Doris Hovermann drone operator Flavio Agito assistent montage Minori Akimoto colour grading Angelos Matzios post-production Studio M141 assistent post-production Morgane Vautey, Iro Adrakta production Tropical Underground executive producer Futur Antérieur - Aymeric Isnard

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This performance is made possible by

Crossings

Everything must go

The Bird of a Thousand Voices

PEARLS

HARDKOOR

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