DE SINGEL opened its season in style with a phenomenal theatrical production: Pilgrimage. A contemporary investigative 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), along with a diverse artistic team.
The four bodies—Akwety, den Hartog, Peeters, and Van Meirvenne—traverse an ever-changing landscape. They play instruments, but also bodies and sculptures. They are constantly on the move, searching for a place that remains foreign to them. In their steps, they lose themselves, merge with the unknown, and encounter anew, in different forms, what they thought they had left behind.
This contemporary pilgrimage explores the tension between self-interest and the collective, between the individual and community. 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 production is the final 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 becomes more concrete toward the end. Especially when Akwety and den Hartog deliver a beautifully moving duet. Nevertheless, the work is above all remarkably contemporary with an idiosyncratic vision of what it can and should mean to be on the road today.
Initially, the four bodies seem in harmony on their shared island, the beginning of their pilgrimage. Yet quite quickly, they each go their own way. The little islands disperse across the space, just as the individuals, who occasionally meet and resonate together. The vocal, instrumental, and visual elements are complemented by auditory fragments from field recordings. These recordings were made at the beginning of the creative process during the artistic team's shared walk.
In the music we find several recurring motifs, such as physical expression coupled with playing an instrument. This unique coupling creates beautiful and very specific tonal colors. At times, it even seems as though two bodies are playing the same instrument, be it the accordion, bass flute, or even the voice! This unique coupling contributes to the magical experience and the adventure of the travelers and 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 gasping 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 moments very intimate; they transform continuously through thoughtful choreographic elements. The space and setting in which they find themselves evolves organically in a surprising and sometimes playful manner.
The composer wishes to draw attention to the in-between space that occurs from point A to point 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. The walk from point A to point 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, almost without spoken dialogue, initially appears quite abstract, but gradually becomes tangible through the logical sequence of events. Just as in established classical works, we find moments of recognition and footing. It is up to the audience to embark on their own pilgrimage and thus partly fill in the story themselves.
Analyzing and reviewing a work that, especially for the audience, will be experienced differently by each individual, seems rather inappropriate. Therefore, I will, as an exception, write in the first person for a moment, very briefly then 😉.
At moments I was moved, confused, or even startled, but I was also able to laugh and grin. A true emotional rollercoaster, but above all I must say that I enjoyed a unique contemporary and idiosyncratic investigative, beautifully audiovisual work. Bravo to everyone involved and who made its realization possible!
Couldn't make it this weekend? No worries—the next performances are in Brussels, KVS Box on February 18, 2026, and in The Hague, Amare on March 8, 2026.
Theater Transparent
concept, musical direction, music: Siebe Thijs
final direction
performance
countertenor
accordion
flute
lighting, scenography
costume design
scenography, set design
choreography
sound, technical coordination
Outside perspective
production
Siebe Thijs Muziektheater Transparant
co-production
DE SINGELKVS (Brussels) Platform 0090 (Antwerp)C-TAKT (Pelt)Perpodium (Antwerp)
supported by
Needcompany MusicaBijloke Summer Academy (Ghent) Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government Flemish Government
