DE SINGEL has opened its season in style with a phenomenal theatrical performance: Pilgrimage. A contemporary exploratory pilgrimage staged by composer Siebe Thijs and final director Ferenc Balcaen in collaboration with four fantastic performers/musicians: Junior Akwety (performer/singer), Arturo den Hartog (countertenor), Suzan Peeters (accordion) and Nathalie Van Meirvenne (flute) and a diverse artistic team.
The four bodies, Akwety, den Hartog, Peeters and Van Meirvenne, travel through an ever-changing landscape. They play instruments, but also bodies and sculptures. They are constantly on the move, searching for a place that is still foreign to them. In their steps they lose themselves, melt with something unknown and meet again, in other forms, what they thought they had left behind.
With this contemporary pilgrimage, the tension between self-interest and the shared is explored, between individual and collective. There is reflection and communication about and with the other. Encounters and farewells take place in a magical sequence of intimate, playful, chaotic, surprising and hysterical fragments.
The starting point of this multidisciplinary performance is the last song cycle "A Pilgrimes Solace" (1612) by Renaissance composer, lutenist and singer John Dowland. In the most lyrical passages of the performance we can hear an echo of Dowland's music that seems to become more concrete towards the end. Especially when Akwety and den Hartog perform a beautiful moving duet. But nevertheless, the work is above all very contemporary with a distinctive vision of what it can and may mean to be on the road today.
Initially, the four bodies seem to be in harmony on their shared island, the beginning of their pilgrimage? Yet quite soon, they each go their own way. The islands scatter across the space, just as the individuals, who occasionally encounter each other and resonate together. The vocal, instrumental and visual elements are supplemented with auditory fragments from field recordings. These recordings were made at the beginning of the creative process during the shared walk of the artistic team.
In the music we find some recurring motifs such as bodily expression coupled with playing an instrument. This unique coupling creates beautiful and very specific timbres. At times it is even such that two bodies seem to play the same instrument, be it the accordion, bass flute, or even the voice! This unique coupling contributes to the magical experience and adventure of the travelers and also forms an intriguing musical-visual element for the audience. In the music itself, breathing seems to play a crucial theme, both in the vocal and instrumental interludes. Breathing often transforms into panting and vice versa, as if the bodies are exhausted from the physical exertion of their journey. The bodies as well as the music are sometimes closed, searching, and at times very intimate, they are constantly transforming through well-considered choreographic elements. The space and the setting in which they find themselves evolves organically in a surprising and sometimes playful way.
The composer wants to draw attention to the in-between space that takes place from point A to B. For many people, that in-between space might seem pointless. However, according to him, that in-between space offers the possibility for reflection or even encounters with another pilgrim. Walking from point A to B can happen in different ways such as walking, stumbling, fleeing or even a shared protest or festive march (cf. auf die Straße... I).
The story that unfolds, virtually without spoken dialogue, appears initially quite abstract, but gradually becomes tangible through the logical sequence of events. Just as in established classical works, we find moments of recognition and support. It is up to the audience to embark on a pilgrimage themselves and thus partly fill in the story themselves.
Analyzing and reviewing a work that will be experienced differently by each individual in the audience seems rather inappropriate. Therefore, I will, by way of exception, write in the first person, albeit very briefly 😉.
At times I was moved, confused or even frightened, but I was also able to laugh and grin. A true rollercoaster of emotions, but above all I must say that I enjoyed a unique contemporary and distinctive exploratory, beautiful audiovisual work. Bravo to everyone involved and who contributed to its creation!
Couldn't make it this weekend? Don't worry, the next performances are in Brussels, KVS Box on February 18, 2026 and in The Hague, Amare on March 8, 2026.
Theater transparant
concept, musical direction, music: Siebe Thijs
final direction
performance
countertenor
accordion
flute
lighting, scenography
costume design
scenography, set design
choreography
sound, technical coordination
Outside eye
production
Siebe Thijs Muziektheater Transparant
coproduction
DE SINGELKVS (Brussel) Platform 0090 (Antwerpen)C-TAKT (Pelt)Perpodium (Antwerpen)
with support from
Needcompany MusicaBijloke Summer Academy (Gent) Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg Tax Shelter van de Belgische Federale Overheid Vlaamse Overheid