Pianola, satire de trash

Serge Verstockt & ChampdAction

keyboard

music theatre

Fri 10 Mar 2017 -20.00

start	20.00
expected end time	21.45

All prices include booking fees.

Under 26? Enjoy 50% discount!

A Concertgebouw coproduction, featuring mechanical pianos and robots

Taking the pianola as its guideline, Pianola, satire de trash examines the turbulent days of Futurism. During that era, the roar of machinery and the thunder of bombs was naively regarded as the highest form of art. The outbreak of the horrific First World War soon shattered both the movement and its accompanying utopian vision. As an offshoot of the automatic loom, the pianola symbolises the dawn of modernity. The development of both had an enormous social impact: home weavers and cinema and bar pianists lost their jobs. The machine was supposed liberate people and give them more time for intellectual and creative development. Nowadays, we are witnessing a similar phenomenon with the rise of the robot. During the performance, the creators ask the necessary questions about this evolution.

performers

Alain Franco: piano, pianola, synth, narrator
Benjamin Van Esser: piano, pianola, synths, electronics
Ko Kowalsky & Serge Verstockt: guitar, keyboards, elektronics, voice
Yvan Van der Sanden: software, robotics
Simon Van den Brande: coaching English texts
Lieven De Cauter: philosopher
Istvan Leel-Össy: video, technique
Victor Hidalgo: soundtechnique
Wenceslao Jimenez Romero: technical assistant
Hugo & Kuno, Claude, Igor en boycotter: robots

production: ChampdAction
coproduction: Concertgebouw Brugge & deSingel (Antwerpen)
in cooperation with Opera XXI