Opera Ballet Vlaanderen Releases Fifth Video Short

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen is releasing its fifth video short as part of #imaginationisalive. In the exceptional setting of the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui choreographs an intimist duet to 'Pie Jesu' from Gabriel Fauré's Requiem. The video is online on our social media channels.

As Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's second video short under the hashtag #imaginationisalive, Pie Jesu follows the dance solo Murmuration. The artistic director previously choreographed the full Requiem in 2017. That production brought together all the artistic teams of Opera Ballet Vlaanderen for the first time.

This is no different in Pie Jesu. The heavenly voice of soprano Annelies Van Gramberen echoes through the arcades while répétiteur Conal Bembridge-Sayers plays the celebrated melody on the organ. Principal soloist Philipe Lens and demi-soloist Nicha Rodboon dance an intimist duet. One dancer is a symbol of life, the other, of death. The monumental and spiritual context of the cathedral breathes new life into the choreography. The turbulent force of Pieter Paul Rubens' altarpiece, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (1625-1626), looms in the background. A work that, in itself, can also be experienced as a performance in freeze-frame. The powerful upwards thrust of the scene, a vortex of light and motion, enters into dialogue with Cherkaoui's darker, earthbound dance duet.

Contemplation, death, life, eternal rest, resurrection... These have been the symbolic buttresses of the cathedral for generations. This short performance honours this cycle of life, especially during these uncertain Corona times.