SOMBRE. In the Shadows of Our Time.
SAARIAHO/BARRIÈRE/MARTI
25.04.2026
19:30 – 20:30
26.04.2026
19:30 – 20:30
Can a love of beauty turn into cruelty?
In many of her works, the acclaimed Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) approached ambivalent cultural figures in order to understand how destructive tendencies can arise not on the fringes of our culture, but from its very core.
Saariaho’s examination of the poet Ezra Pound — an aesthete who became a supporter of Fascism — and with the painter Paul Gauguin, whose time in Tahiti was marked by controversial idealizations, invites us to question our collective dark side by examining the “paradises” we attempt to create for ourselves.
As a tribute to the composer and pioneer of electroacoustic music, world premieres by Jean-Baptiste Barrière and Cécile Marti offer touching responses to selected chamber works by Saariaho.
The production is curated and staged by author and director Aleksi Barrière.
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Aleksi Barrière
Direction, Text, Video
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Jean-Baptiste Barrière
Composition, Sound Design, Video
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Cécile Marti
Composition
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Lea Vaterlaus
Dramaturgy
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Étienne Exbrayat
Light
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Jens Schubbe
Production Lead
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Gary Berger
Audio & Video Coordination
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Robert Koller
Bass-Bariton
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Eija Kankaanranta
Kantele
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Camilla Hoitenga
Flute
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Aleksander Gabrys
Double Bass
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Fritz Hauser
Percussion