Only the Sound Remains

About

Kaija Saariaho’s chamber opera in two parts, Only the Sound Remains, returns in Aleksi Barrière’s intimate, mobile staging. Drawn from the Noh plays Tsunemasa and Hagoromo in English versions by Ezra Pound after Ernest Fenollosa, the work unites a countertenor and bass-baritone with dancer Kaiji Moriyama, string quartet (Quatuor Ardeo), the vocal ensemble of Orfeó Català, flute, kantele, percussion and live electronics shaped by Christophe Lebreton. For Festival Musica in Strasbourg (Le Maillon, 16 and 18 September 2022) Ernest Martínez-Izquierdo leads the musical forces. Co-produced with Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, La Biennale di Venezia and the Palau de la Música Catalana, the production finely balances East and West, music and movement, light and shadow.