Bosch Beach

Two men and a woman sunbathe and bathe on the beach in Southern Europe. Ordinary people on vacation, living in the cocoon of the Club Med resorts. They seduce each other, send postcards with the well-known clichés and drink cocktails late into the night. A hangover is the trigger for a small existential crisis, which is only answered with polonaises and more cocktails. The libretto, in the characteristic style of Dimitri Verhulst, is staged in Bosch Beach by LOD composer Vasco Mendonça and director Kris Verdonck, who is venturing into his first opera. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Hieronymus Bosch's death, they take the idea of ​​hell on earth as their starting point, in order to look at our current world through Bosch's eyes. What does hell look like today? What place is the "False Paradise," a hidden hell on Earth today? Sunbathe on the beautiful beach of Lampedusa while the refugees wash up; it seems to be getting very close. In Bosch Beach, Verhulst, Verdonck & Mendonça play with the ambiguity of this place and the impossible questions of guilt it entails. Faced with the flows of refugees, there is a strong moral appeal for responsibility. Isn't our lifestyle at the expense of the quality of life and stability on other continents? And if so, can and should we feel responsible there as individuals? And how should we act accordingly? Reality gnaws how much we try to avoid it. Alienating elements, three mascots, an inflatable kiosk and burning light punctuate the relaxation. In Bosch Beach, the false paradise of the resorts and the Bosche hell on earth merge seamlessly together. CREDITS: Director: Kris Verdonck Dramaturgy: Kristof Van Baarle Music: Vasco Mendonça Libretto: Dimitri Verhulst based on The Seven Deadly Sins by Hieronymus Bosch Conductor: Etienne Siebens Vocals: Marion Tassou (soprano), Rodrigo Ferreira (countertenor), Damien Pass (baritone) Orchestra: Asko | Schönberg: (1 flute (double alto flute, bass flute, piccolo) 2 clarinets (both bass clarinet) 2 trumpets (both flugelhorn) 1 trombone 1 percussionist 2 violins 2 violas 2 cellos 1 double bass) Extra: Robbe Peeters, Simon Van Schuylenbergh, Astrid De Haes, Freek De Craecker Copyist: Wim Hoogewerf Choreographer: Marc Iglesias Repititor piano: Lies Colman Costumes: Eefje Wijnings, Andrea Kränzlin Decor: Kris Verdonck, Eefje Wijnings Decor execution: A Two Dogs Company Lighting design: Jan Van Gijsel Technical coordination: Jan Van Gijsel, Nic Roseeuw Technique: Bram De Cock, Diederik Suykens, Jan Van Gijsel, Chris Vanneste Production: LOD music theater Production management: Isabel Vermeulen Co-production: A Two Dogs Company, Jheronimus Bosch 500 Foundation, Kaaitheater, Teatro Maria Matos, House on Fire, Asko | Schönberg, Concertgebouw Brugge, Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian, Theater Mousonturm Frankfurt In collaboration with: Flanders and the Netherlands host country 2016 Frankfurter Buchmesse With the support of: Eduard Van Beinum Foundation, Flemish Government & Flemish Community Commission