There are two landmarks in human life: birth and death. Intense joy and sorrow form a pendulum swing between these two poles. The door of new parents is, so to speak, worn down to behold and comment on that little miracle. When someone dies, people often take a detour. They don't know what to say. They cannot find comforting, uplifting words. Death is in the taboo sphere of our Western culture. Wrong! We must be able to talk about grief, farewell and sorrow. Grief should not be bottled up, but should be given an open place in our society. That is the wish of 'Sereni'.
Sereni
'Sereni' brings together experienced funeral directors and asked composer and conductor Dirk Brossé if he could create a performance with a special approach that encourages reflection. Together with author and actor Dirk Van Vaerenbergh and soprano Franches Dhont, he created a music theatre production about death: the music and lyrics grab you by the throat, but there are also light-hearted interludes to provide relief. Just as fine memories of the deceased are recalled during a funeral meal. It is unique that a funeral planner lends his shoulders to a cultural project.
Development process
ONTroerd is about birth and death. For the poster, a clock on a thread was chosen. A thread that almost breaks! The clock as a metaphor for life. The rituals and the human need to grasp time, to control it, to overcome it. But death is inexorable. As the son of a funeral director, death was ordinary for Brossé. Music is living art. He wrote his first composition right next to the mortuary. Death and life, alpha and omega.
Not being able to say goodbye is extremely bitter
Sereni's request was posed to him back in 2017. It was to be a one-off concert. Corona hampered things on the one hand, but opened up a new perspective on the other. The pandemic squeezed the throat of the cultural sector. Also everyone who had to say goodbye to a loved one was left out in the cold. They were often heartbreaking situations. The impact left deep wounds. Being able to say goodbye, to grieve, is extremely important. Passing on the baton of life to each other. Talking about what is important and dear. There is no measurable metric of grief. That is why Sereni looked for a universal language: music. Saying goodbye can be raw, but also very intimate, tender, extremely comforting. Music can colour all those feelings. The title was soon found: ONTroerd, something that no longer moves is dead. Dirk Brossé needed someone who could write a scenario for his ideas and music. The ideal partner for this was his good friend Dirk Van Vaerenbergh, an erudite man, at home both in the academic world and on stage. Language is also important, words have connotations after all. Tabula rasa with the concert and during the lockdown a beautiful, consistent product ripened, a kind of healing.
Parabola
Brossé's aim was to illuminate the death of homo sapiens as universally and broadly as possible. Reference is made, among other things, to stars whose light takes millions of years to reach the earth. Use is made of written texts from literature: including works by Ovidius and Pablo Neruda but also new material. Brossé leaves the symphony orchestra trail and opted for a 5-member ensemble, a quintet. He deliberately chose musicians of foreign origin. In their culture, the perception and handling of death is different from ours, creating new perspectives. The young, talented, recently graduated soprano Franches Dhont was also brought on board, who is completely on board with the story. The function of the music is twofold: sometimes it translates what is being expressed, at other times it adds a dimension to it.
The press got a taste: music, text and song provided goosebump moments through the sober and serene empathy of Franches Dhont. A voice that not only sounds beautiful but also has something to say. If everything follows the line of what was heard, no one will keep their composure.
The emotional toll of the death of a loved one is profound. ONTroerd wants to take the embarrassment, helplessness, fear out of the taboo corner with understanding and comforting words, the sublime power of the human voice and music. A performance that gets under your skin and gives oxygen.
With ONTroerd, Sereni wants to be a stepping stone to make grief and processing discussable in disruptive life moments.
- WHERE & WHEN: 25/10 Antwerp; 26/10 Ghent; 27/10 Kortrijk; 28/10 Brussels
- MUSIC: Dirk Brossé
- SCENARIO: Dirk Van Vaerenbergh
- SINGING: Franches Dhont