Floriaan Ganzevoort worked on the light design for the world premiere of the opera ‘Until the Lions’ at Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, France. The opera is composed by Thierry Pécou after a libretto by poet and writer Karthika Naïr.
‘Until the Lions’ marks the second collaboration between Floriaan and choreographer and stage director Shobana Jeyasingh. Earlier they worked together on the dance production ‘Material Men – redux‘
The opera ‘Until the Lions’ is loosely based on the Mahabharata. A small part of this vast epic work is being told from the female perspective of queen Satyavati.
Lighting plays an important part in the performance. At times it shows the chaos of war, in other moments the passing of time. The light keeps an almost constant movement in all sorts of ways. Floriaan achieves this by using dynamic intensities, by using moving lights, and even by floating lights over the set to make shadows slowly shift shape.
Olyrix wrote:
“Dans ce décor relativement épuré, aux portes d’une palissade criblée et flèches et où sont encastrés deux chevaux, le tout surplombé par une passerelle, les jeux de lumières et d’ombres sont rendus essentiels par le travail de Floriaan Ganzevoort. Doublés par leurs ombres projetées sur un grand mur blanc, les protagonistes peuvent être vus d’une autre perspective, tout aussi mouvante mais plus immatérielle.”
Cast & Creatives:
Music Director: Marie Jacquot
Stage Director: Shobana Jeyasingh
Set design, costume design: Merle Hensel
Light design: Floriaan Ganzevoort
Satyavati: Fiona Tong
Bhishma: Cody Quattlebaum
Amba: Noa Frenkel
Female war witnesses, courtesans: Mirella Hagen, Anaïs Yvoz
CCN, Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Chœur de l’Opéra national du Rhin, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance, Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse