Cathedral
A wondrous journey into tomorrow's world and a quest for what makes us human. A revival of the success production by Spanish dance and theatre maker Marcos Morau set to the meditative music of Arvo Pärt.
Combining artistic disciplines, extraordinary design and inventive movement language, Morau is one of the leading dance artists in Europe.
Cathedral depicts a world where life is dominated by digital technologies and where we are increasingly losing each other. Using the mystical music of Arvo Pärt as a heartbeat, Morau and the dancers explore what makes us human and our relationship with nature.
Morau and his team of Spanish artists design a retro-futuristic stage setting with life-size video projections. In this alienating world, Arvo Pärt's music offers an oasis of calm. Important elements in the design are theatrical and contemporary fashion-inspired costumes. The encounter with a metre-high meteor on stage marks the enigmatic beginning of this extraordinary dance performance.
The press on Cathedral
- ★★★★
NRC Handelsblad
"With their bodies fragmented to the phalanges, Scapino's 12 dancers move virtuosically." - ★★★★
de Volkskrant
"Dance by rising star Marcos Morau to music by Arvo Pärt: a wonderful combination that turns out powerfully." - ★★★★
Trouw
"The movement language is surprisingly earthy and has a beautiful melancholic underlay, brought out excellently by the Scapino dancers."
Calendar
| Thursday 9 January 2025 - 20:15 | Performance Cathedral | Theater Castellum Alphen a/d Rijn This performance has an introduction. You can find more information about this on the theater's website. | Tickets |
| Friday 10 January 2025 - 20:00 | Performance Cathedral | Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen Nijmegen This performance has an introduction. You can find more information about this on the theater's website. | Tickets |
| Saturday 11 January 2025 - 20:00 | Performance Cathedral | Chassé Theater Breda This performance has an introduction. You can find more information about this on the theater's website. | Tickets |
| Wednesday 15 January 2025 - 20:00 | Performance Cathedral | Zaantheater Zaandam | Tickets |
| Friday 17 January 2025 - 20:00 | Performance Cathedral | Schouwburg Amstelveen Amstelveen | Tickets |
Credits
Director
Marcos Morau
Choreography
Marcos Morau, Lorena Nogal
Music
Arvo Pärt
Music recording
by Sinfonia Rotterdam with soprano Channa Malkin (in collaboration with IVC)
Decor & Costumes
Silvia Delagneau
Dramaturgy
Carmina S. Beldak
Light design
Mårten Axelsson
Video projections
Justin Bekker
Marcos Morau
Marcos Morau is founder of the Spanish artists' collective La Veronal. He is making a name for himself for the innovative way he uses dance and other art disciplines to tell stories.
"Cathedral is," says Morau, "something I have in my head, a child's imagination. It is a playroom in which the largely broken toys come to life, as in a nightmare. You realise that the toys, or characters, move differently, less organically, and relate to each other differently than you are used to."
It touches on his personal vision for the future. "I think we are on the right track in some ways, but I am also concerned. For instance, I fear that with our increasing individuality and self-reliance, we are increasingly losing the other. Something that also translates to politics and to our dealings with the arts. But I don't want to be a pessimist. I believe there is still time to change course. That is also what I propagate in my work: ‘Look people, this is the direction we are going. You still have the chance now to change your path, to go for what really matters."
An evening with Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt (Tallinn, 1935) is one of the most widely played living composers. The Estonian composer owes this special status to his subtle and meditative music, which can make you feel like you are catching a glimpse of eternity.
Pärt develops a highly personal compositional technique that he refers to as ‘tintinnabuli’, after the Latin word ‘tintinnabulum’ for bell or chime. It is music that returns to the basis of tonality, the pure triad, as it lies in the tone of a struck bell.
It is music that does not shy away from beautiful sounds. "This music is about silence. The sounds are there to surround the silence," says the composer. A cathedral of sound, impressive for its clear simplicity.
