¡SILENCIO, POR FAVOR!

The idea of absolute silence is both gratifying and threatening. Silence can be wellness or torture, a coveted resource or an absolute nightmare. But above all, it is an impossibility: "Try as we may to make a silence, we cannot", John Cage observed after visiting an anechoic chamber and encountering not silence but the buzzing of his nervous system and the throbbing of his blood.

¡SILENCIO, POR FAVOR! initiates a search for perfect silence, knowing full well that it does not exist. Therefore, when the ensemble searches for silence, it is actually searching for sounds: sounds of everyday life, sounds of coincidence, unintended sounds and inaudible sounds that buzz through the space in the form of imperceptible frequencies. Using selected works by John Cage and Cathy van Eck and with the help of the antennas of sound artist Marta Zapparoli, Björnsson | Marx and Opera Lab create a dense mesh of music, sounds and texts, opening up a space for reflection and experience in which the ambivalence of silence is treated just as much as the contingency of our acoustic perceptions.

Concept: Julia Marx & Thorbjörn Björnsson
Director: Thorbjörn Björnsson
Text, Dramaturgy: Julia Marx
Violin, Performance: Maria do Mar de Brito Lopes
Violin, Performance: Raphael Papo
Viola, Performance: Francesca Verga
Violoncello, Performance: Guilherme Rodrigues
Tapes, Antennas, Performance: Marta Zapparoli
Dance, Performance: Ula Liagaitė
Stage & Costume Design: Katri Saloniemi
Production Management: Claas Selck
Light Design: Henning Streck
Live Sound & Music Production: Felix von Dohlen
Artistic Direction: Evan Gardner
Press & Communication: Sarah Rosenau
Production Assistance: Ben Goldby & Sadie Shea

With selected works by John Cage and Cathy van Eck.

Premiere am 27. April 2024 im English Theatre Berlin.

Eine Produktion von Opera Lab Berlin & Björnsson / Marx.
Gefördert durch den Hauptstadtkulturfonds.

Fotos: Stefania Migliorati