“Utopian rituals” that give the prevailing politics and organisation of society “a positive injection”: this is how dance aficionado and Belgian countertenor and director Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe understands his work. For his piece Madrigals, a blend of dance and music theatre in a soundscape between the late Renaissance and early baroque periods, the 28-year-old multi-talent has reworked Claudio Monteverdi’s Madrigali guerrieri ed amorosi, with five musicians who play live on stage. Eight amazing singers and performers merge past and future and act out the birth of a new society as a Dionysian community. Audiovisual pop-art experimenter Jesse (Doon) Kanda, who has collaborated with Björk, FKA Twigs and Arca, and co-composer Wouter Deltour provide the music. With respect for Monteverdi, Meirhaeghe opens up new perspectives because “the classical repertoire” should not go on “revolving around itself” forever.
