After the psychological dissection of Brodeck it is time to move on to the essence: the music. A world premiere insinuates that a story gets its own unique soundworld. It is here where the question lies whether Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (OBV) and Daan Janssens have been successful in bringing Philippe Claudel's world to life.
Cinematographic Leitmotif
Daan Janssens already indicated that, during composition, he sensed that this would become one of Wagnerian influence.* The use of leitmotifs is thus prominently present. Listening to it, you also hear, as the story progresses, these musical signals becoming increasingly prominent. Emélia's ethereal broken sounds, Brodeck's jumping melody, the descending glissando in the celesta as a motif for the Anderer/the stranger – these are introduced and blended with each other. Being able to hear the unspoken is pure Wagner.
To stay with Janssens' Brodeck: leitmotifs play the leading role here. Underneath lies an unbroken tension field in the orchestra. It was striking how the composition had hardly any resting points. There are only two caesuras that have remained prominent with me, both towards the end. One of them falls after the execution of a Frëmder, with spoken words by officer Buller: "Je vous souhaite le bonsoir." These banal words, combined with death and silence, sounded downright macabre. The other? The Anderer who screams "murderers" at the villagers.
It is not only silence and leitmotifs that Janssens employs. The strength of the composition also seemed to lie in the sparing, yet correct, use of persiflage and musical expectation patterns. It sounds like a thriller (film), where you constantly hear the same repeated suspenseful waves – the cutting beeping tone, the sustained strings, the otherworldly celesta and harp (two instruments that are beloved in the supernatural and horror genre). The fear of the strange and death – the unbroken tension – that dominates the story is reflected in the musical composition.
The framework certainly meets all expectations, but what about the details?
Less is more
When you listen to an opera in which the expected stylistic devices are used sparingly, you realize as a viewer how this comes across even more intensely. An example of this is Émelia's hysterical leap, after the betrayal of Brodeck. A high leap from a soprano, as an expression of passion or fear, is an operatic stylistic device. If this occurs only once – in a vocal composition that is primarily low and undulating – then this speaks all the louder.The use of a familiar waltz motif, broken and persiflaged, also gave this same effect. The dislocation of the sound linked itself to Emélia's motif – why she floated through the story like a broken bird – and how the estranged tonality also said something about the village. A waltz is already a kind of snapshot, and with the necessary chromaticism and magnification it can sound downright threatening.
The combination of spareness, unbroken musical tension and leitmotifs creates a (successful) lack of rest.
Sung cinema
The aim of bringing about cinematographic tension has been successfully composed and performed. The choice to make the only "threat" – the Anderer – a spoken role provided the intended contrast. The performance is an ensemble, so those were the moments that spoke most powerfully. The ghost choirs – floating choir passages, with or without a liturgical motif – provided the necessary sound tableaus. It was pleasant that for once – instead of viewing the singers individually – everything felt as a whole. If that was the intention, then certainly bravo, Janssens.
A separate word still about Brodeck. Damien Pass did not have the easiest task – trying to stand out in a strong ensemble composition. He, and his clear voice, certainly succeeded in this. Also Elisa Soster, used sparingly enough to maintain the dislocated tension, was the right choice for a fragmented, otherworldly (war) soul as Emélia. The cast was certainly strong, especially together.
With this exposition I could only touch on half of what Brodeck ultimately is (as a composition). This is a compliment to the strength of Daan Janssens and the production of OBV. If I am left without words, then that is certainly a sign of success. Hereby: bravo!
* Paraphrased from Daan Janssens, Persmoment Brodeck - OBV, 09/02/2024.
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WHAT: Brodeck by Daan Janssens (2023).
WHO: Daan Janssens (composer and librettist) Marit Strindlund (conductor), Fabrice Murgia (director and librettist), Philippe Claudel (author), Susan De Ceuster/Gay Huygen (child actor), Jose De Pauw (actor), Jean-Pierre Baudson (voice actor), Damien Pass, Elisa Soster, Helena Rasker, Thomas Blondelle, Kris Belligh, Werner van Mechelen, Tijl Faveyts, Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Koor Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Kinderkoor Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.
WHERE: Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Antwerpen.
WHEN: 9 February 2024 through 20 February 2024 (OBV Antwerpen) and 29 February 2024 through 3 March 2024 (OBV Gent); seen on 9 February 2024.
