''Shell Shock''Robert-Jan Bartunek
"''Shell Shock'' opera brings trauma of World War One to stage"
on reuters.com is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

Nicholas Lens Nicholas Lens Noorenbergh (born 1957) is a Belgian composer of contemporary music, particularly known for his operas. His work is published by Schott Music and Mute Song and distributed by Universal Music Group and Sony BMG. In 2020 Nicholas Lens ...

set to an English-language

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

. The

has been published by Mute Song,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and the world premiere recordings have been distributed by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

s in this

are besides the terrifying Angels of Death ("We drink breath") mostly the silent victims of war like the mother, the orphans, the unknown soldier, the colonial soldier, the fallen, the missing, the deserter, the survivor etc. The characters mutate into different characters and help each other in telling their individual story. With Shell Shock it is the first time that the artist

writes the

for an opera. The libretto has been described sometimes as highly explicit with in opera highly unusual text phrases like (in Canto of the Mother) 'Fuck God - Fuck the Flag'.'Shell Shock Overwhelming beauty' by Berta del Olivo http://www.mundoclasico.com/ed/documentos/doc-ver.aspx?id=e66125d6-5618-4e34-9cdb-f89fbde70013

First performances

''Shell Shock'' received its world premiere on 24 October 2014. The work was commissioned and first produced by the Royal Opera House

La Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, with Konzertmeister Saténik Khourdoian, was conducted by

Koen Kessels Koen Kessels (born 1961) is a Belgian conductor and pianist. He is music director of The Royal Ballet and of Het Balletorkest, affiliated with the Dutch National Ballet. Biography Trained as a pianist, Kessels studied at the Royal Conservat ...

. For the first stage interpretation of this opera, the stage director and choreographer

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (born 10 March 1976) is a Belgian dancer and choreographer and director. He has made over 50 choreographic pieces and received two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, three Ballet Tanz awards for best cho ...

, with set design and video by Eugenio Szwarcer, did use contemporary dancers of his own company Eastman, sometimes forming a heroic statue, but in general absorbing, underlining and accompanying the vocal soloist characters in their role to focus on the traumatic effects war has on individuals.

Live television broadcast,
Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

The live version of the world premiere (2014), as well the live performances of the reprise in Paris (2018) have been broadcast on the French-German

Arte Arte (, , ; ' ('), sometimes stylised in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European Union, European public service Television channel, channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based Europea ...

television.

Live double CD recording, Universal

A live double CD recording is distributed by

, the covers shows the painting 'The Unknown Soldier' by Clara-Lane Lens.

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...
, 2018

More than 4 years after the world premiere during the §international Weekend of War and Peace, Paris on November 10 and 11, 2018 Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with the Choir of the Silesian Opera performed the full opera again at

Cité de la Musique The Cité de la Musique (, "City of Music"), also known as Philharmonie 2, is a group of institutions dedicated to music and situated in the Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed with the nearby Conservatoi ...

(

Philharmonie de Paris The Philharmonie de Paris () () is a complex of concert halls in Paris, France. The buildings also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. The main buildings are all located in the Parc de la Villette at the northeastern edge of Paris in the ...

), conducted by Bassem Akiki. With live television broadcasting on

and

France Musique France Musique () is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was lau ...

Roles

Instrumentation

These singers perform with an orchestra consisting of 3

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

s (one doubling on

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

, one doubling on alto flute and bass flute), two

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s (one English horn), 3

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s (one bass clarinet), three

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

s (one bass bassoon), two

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (anatomy) * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...

, three

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s (one

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

), three

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s (one bass trombone), one tuba,

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

, three percussions, harp, piano and strings. The work also requires a four-part

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

.Program book D/2014/5974/8, Département Dramaturgie & Ligne éditoriale La Monnaie, ''Shell Shock'' 2014-2015 (2014)

Synopsis

*I. Canto of the Colonial Soldier: A un ritmo moderato marcia, reale cerimoniale / Anthem del soldato coloniale - Con solennità quasi religiosa / Con una tensione ansiosa quasi costante / Anthem del soldato coloniale - Con solennità quasi religiosa *II. Canto of the Soldier: Rapidamente e ritmicamente - come una respirazione rapida / Marciale grazioso / Attacco di sorpresa! - come un turbine che passa / è di nuovo calmo *III. Canto of the Nurse: Largo di tristezza e grande passione interiore *IV. Canto of the Deserter: Minuetto macabro / Violenta marcia / Piu aggressivo / Molto violente e caotico /Al ritmo di una brutale marcia/ Movimento fragile / Movimento con passione incontrollabile / Movimento fragile *V. Canto of the Survivor part 1: Largo movimento con passione manifesta *VI. Canto of the Angels of Death: A un ritmo moderato marcia, reale cerimoniale *VII. Canto of the Survivor part 2: Danza della tragedia / Largo movimento con passione manifesta *VIII. Canto of the Fallen: Danza turbolenta e macabra / Lirico, con tristezza poetica / Con splendore regale *IX. Canto of the Missing: Tempo comodo con una tensione latente / Meditativa, come se fosse stato intossicato dalla marijuana un pochino piu veloce (qualcosa dal nulla nulla) *X. Canto of the Unknown Soldier: Senza misura (la durata e determinata dal Direttore d'Orchestra)/ Calmo, ma con una grande tensione latente / Piu grande / Con una falsa tranquillita con una grande tensione latente - Esaltate e grande *XI. Canto of the Mother: Atmosfera narcotica/ Tranquillo e quieto, ma con tensione di fondo *XII. Canto of the Orphans: Stato di trance / Un pochino più veloce (qualcosa dal nulla)

References

{{Authority control Operas by Nicholas Lens Music dramas English-language operas 2014 operas Opera world premieres at La Monnaie One-act operas Operas Postmodern music Contemporary classical compositions