Meriç Artaç concludes residency with opera

Composer and music theatre maker Meriç Artaç is inspired in her work by real people she observes on the street. During her two-year stint as artist-in-residence at Festival Dag in de Branding, she developed five different musical characters based on those encounters. In November Meriç concludes her residency with the new opera The Arrival of Mr. Z. Artaç brings her characters together in their search for their creator: Mr. Z. What happens when five totally different characters meet? Why are they desperately searching for their creator?

The characters
The five characters in Meriç Artaç’s new opera are the result of an investigation into the musical expression of deep emotions and the inner processes that arise from them. In Rudan (baritone), Artaç investigates the sound of depression, in Yori (bass clarinet) the sound of fear, in Gece (soprano) the sound of melancholy, in Korke (voice and tap dance) the sound of pride and in Zizos (flute) the sound of protection.

Meriç Artaç: ‘Together with director Sjaron Minailo, I’m creating a very colourful, dynamic experience for the audience. All the characters I have presented separately come together in the grand finale, in Mr Z’s house. During the opera they will have to work together: the lonely characters desperately need each other’s support.’

In The Arrival of Mr. Z., Meriç Artaç questions what she sees happening around her. In this performance she examines the role of external mechanisms in our society, such as religion, beliefs, ideals and power. To what extent do they have a connecting function and to what extent do they pose a threat? The Arrival of Mr. Z. is a reflection on the tension between individualism and the need to be led by something outside yourself. For this opera Meriç  collaborates with a new generation of stage personalities, guaranteeing theatre in which music and movement are paramount.

Dates
The Arrival of Mr. Z. will premiere during Festival Dag in de Branding on Saturday November 13 at 6:30 pm in the Nieuwe Kerk. Single tickets are already for sale via Amare.nl
Passe-partouts for the complete festival programme on November 13 will be for sale in mid-September via the Dag in de Branding webshop.

The Arrival of Mr. Z. can also be seen:
14 November 8:45 pm November Music Den Bosch
9 December 8:15 pm Muziekgebouw Amsterdam