The character of Alice has the advantage of generating a collective imagination, a way for all members to enter into the subject together at the same speed. The fear that runs through the participants is of coming across material that is too codified: “Is it possible to invent new stories? Don't we end up always reproducing the same type of spectacle in spite of ourselves? We asked ourselves these kinds of questions,” continues the actress.
Lewis Carroll's initiatory tale serves as a starting point but it has been subject to variations: “The world of Alice in Wonderland is constantly replayed, just like the fictions which exist and are maintained by the repetition of their own history, explains Kim Crofts. The original text is also a satire of Victorian society and we pushed the mise en abîme by seeking in our creation to make it a satire of the opera world and particularly of opera production. »
Because the Operalab collective seeks to question the creative process and reflects on how to renew the lyrical genre. These reflections permeate all levels: “As a composer, I am necessarily confronted with the problem of reinventing musical language,” analyzes Nicolas Roulive. When we learn composition techniques, there is a strong temptation to look for something new, to find extended techniques, but we come up against the reality of what a score can be for singers who must be able to memorize it. » “Vocality is a very powerful aesthetic dimension of opera,” adds Inês, singer of the project. The unusual performative aspect attracts attention and astonishes the audience. » Lou Golaz adds: “We looked for the cracks and breaks in this vocality, which is not just a technicality serving a purpose. » The future score thus explores other vocal techniques, notably those of screaming (shrieking and aggressive voice) and growl (guttural and cavernous voice) associated with heavy metal. Particularly for the character of the queen: “In order to add sound to her neurotic character, we work with Inês on the transition between sung notes and the break, to open the sound universe of this character to somewhere else. » For this project, no instruments in the pit but at the back of the stage: a string quartet, a vocal quartet, a flute, a saxophone, percussion and two electronic keyboards. “There will also be live voice processing using an electronic assistant,” explains Nicolas Roulive. “As a director, I find it great to be able to have a close discussion with Nicolas,” adds Kim Crofts. We dream together. There is great porosity between his musical ideas and my stage ideas. Like a kind of mirror, the opera which has two acts will also have two directors, one per act. “It’s a way of confronting our contradictions even more.” With curiosity thus whetted, we will have to wait until January 2025 to enter the wonderland of the OperaLab collective…
Holder of a master's degree in soloist from the Haute École de Musique de Genève and a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Lyon Lumière, Juliette de Banes Gardonne made a career as a mezzo-soprano which took her to several Swiss and French stages. She founded the Ensemble Démesure and is today responsible for the music section at Temps.
“Last Expedition to Wonderland” at the Comédie de Genève
from January 22 to 25, 2025
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