Mozart continues to rock

I did not quite know what to expect when it comes to rock concerts in France, but I was certainly interested to find out what makes French music fans tick. In fact, Mozart L'Opera Rock is a rock opera with a storyline created around the musical genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Music, love and humour are the main ingredients of this show which is played in two acts. The lavish production combines the ornate world of the late 18th century with the rock music and curious hairstyles of the modern era. Fifty or so artists, singers, dancers and musicians, all in period costume, make their entrance on the stage at the Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy. Quite a theatrical extravaganza that sets out to dazzle.

Since Mozart L'Opera Rock premiered in 2009, its success has been phenomenal. I think much of it has to do with the effective marketing of the music, the characters and the show through facebook, twitter, and youtube, as well as the mass media like Music TV and podcast.

As one would expect, the music features a fresh updated score that is based on Mozart's thematic material from several of his more famous pieces, plus pop-rock compositions that would appeal to a young audience. The first single album, released almost one year before the show had its premiere, made it to number one on the French charts for seven weeks. Hits after hits the songs stayed in the top five positions for nine consecutive months. By making music video part of their publicity campaign, the exposure the show receives from the airtime on music TV and the internet is immeasurable. And that is clever marketing.

Of course, this is all perfectly crafted for professional entertainment and the making of a blockbuster. Personally, I was not impressed with the lack of any noteworthy vocal skills, except for the diva who was the only person with a voice in the live performance. The lighting and stage designs are glittering. The brilliant choreography is a spectacle to watch. The good-looking cast is definitely a pull.

Perhaps more amusing and thought-provoking was what happened off the stage - it was hard to miss a score of elated teenage fans dressing up in their fancy garb of the 18th-century. The fascination and identification with pop idols and celebrities all over the world are reshaping our society and values in more ways than we care to acknowledge.

Paulo Ribeiro and Ballet de Lorraine

White Feelings and Organic Beat, performed by Ballet de Lorraine are two very different approaches to art while bearing the same signature choreography of Paulo Ribeiro. At times, the dancers appear as an entity, they move together perfectly synchronous and at other times, they engage in their own individual body language.

White Feelings

One of the most exciting aspects of the performance is the music.  White Feelings is accompanied by four accordion players whose repertoire ranges from melancholy elegies to the frenzied rhythm of tango.  It reminds me of the musical style of Argentinian composer, Astor Piazzolla - fluid and passionate. Set against the avant-garde music of John Cage written in 1942 and performed live in the theatre, Organic Beat is a massive production played out by an overwhelming number of dancers - a total of 31.

Organic Beat

The idea of filming the dancers and projecting the images simultaneously on the wall behind the stage is awesome. What I love about this show is that you don't have to think very hard about the narrative or the meaning behind Ribeiro's work. The beauty of the choreography, the music and the stage design is enough to blow you away.

Jan Fabre at Theatre de la Ville

One of the favourite pastimes for the Parisians is going to the theatre. So I was really quite excited to find a dance performance that would pose no problem to my language barrier, unlike a play or an opera.

Jan Fabre's production "Prometheus Landscape II" is a pure theatrical spectacle. There are a lot of smoke, sweat, sand and fire extinguisher on the set and at centre stage was a man tied up and suspended mid air for the entire show.  The man was Prometheus who stole fire from the gods, gave it to humans and was then sentenced to have his liver consumed by a vulture for eternity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA93gzOuRM.

As much as I enjoyed the theatricality of the show, the dancing part was so watered down that the performance could have been executed by actors instead of dancers.  I was disappointed not because it was avant-garde and differed from what I would expect from a dance performance, it was the indulgence in the repetitive use of philosophical texts read out to provide clues on Fabre's psyche that bothers me.  An interesting question comes to mind - what is the role of the text in dance and how far should it be taken before it becomes theatre! Or perhaps we have arrived at an era of multi-disciplinarity that the distinction between them is no longer meaningful.