ÉMILIE

THE PRODUCTION

Stage Director Luca Veggetti’s describes his vision for the production.

“The image of a woman alone in her room at night, waiting for dawn to break, powerfully suggests the sense of premonition that pervades Kaija Saariaho’s Émilie. Removing the necessity to realistically portray Émilie du Châtelet’s predicament and historical setting, the production points at the universal and quasi-shamanic nature of this unique monodrama, exploring the complexities of Émilie du Châtelet’s inner life, the abyss she is staring at, and the music’s infinite gaze directed upon her.

The aural dimension of the drama is amplified by a space sculpted by light, in which every movement and gesture, every detail and aesthetic choice, conforms to the need to remove the unessential while simultaneously creating space for the audience’s imagination to remain unfettered and free-flowing.

The opportunity and the challenge of this piece is to create pathways for the audience to experience the tight relational web between the music, the voice and the movement at the core of this opera. The singular nature and close proximity of the singer, requires immense sensitivity from both the artists and the audience to create a musical environment in which the flow of energies allows the visible and the invisible to meet.”

L.V.