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Ragazze Quartet plays both classical and modern string quartet repertoire: inspired and on the highest level. With attractive but unconventional programmes the quartet has come to be one of the most fresh and leading voices in the world of classical music.
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About this programme
In collaboration with
The World’s Wife
In the media
About this programme
In collaboration with
In the media
SUN 21 NOV, 4:00pm
Theater Kikker / Utrecht / NL
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THU 19 MAY, 8:30pm
Grand Theatre / Groningen / NL / TRY OUT
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FRI 20 MAY, 8:00pm
Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg / Rotterdam / NL / Première O.
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TUE 02 MAY, 7:30pm
Barbican Centre / London / UK
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SAT 18 NOV, 8:00pm
What You See / Stadsschouwburg / Utrecht / NL
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THU 11 JAN, 8:15pm
Muziekgebouw / Amsterdam / NL
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FRI 27 SEP, 8:15pm
September Me / Amersfoort / NL
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THU 14 NOV, 8.00pm
Concertgebouw Brugge / Brugge / BE
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Chamber opera with bariton Lucia Lucas and Ragazze Quartet

The World’s Wife is based on an anthology of poems by Carol Ann Duffy and reflects on collective stories, historical events and myths, told from an altered, female perspective. Inspired by Duffy’s poems, composer Tom W. Green wrote a chamber opera for singer, string quartet and looping station.

 

Throughout the opera, different female characters take the stage, both historical and mythological, ranging from the sexually awakened little-red cap to the motherly Queen Herod. By way of response, Green’s composition contains music from past female composers who were sometimes unduly ignored, such as Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn.

 

Ragazze Quartet and Dutch opera director Jorinde Keesmaat are for the first time creating a fully staged version of the opera. Keesmaat (known from a.o. Andriessen’s Anais Nin + Odysseus Women) is intrigued by the absence of the female voice which paradoxically speaks through Duffy’s poems.

 

While stating their individuality, the women in the poetry are at the same time trapped in a male narrative. Seeking to weave their own narrative, five female performers explore their historical and mythological predecessors. They are guided by the warm baritone singing of transgender opera singer Lucia Lucas, who has recognised and has responded to her inner voice unlike anyone else. Together, they embark on a journey which leads to a (re)discovery of a collective and individual, female voice.

 

Photo: Nichon Glerum

Credits
Composer
Tom W Green
Librettist
Carol Ann Duffy
Stage director
Jorinde Keesmaat
Bariton
Lucia Lucas
Violin
Rosa Arnold, Jeanita Vriens-van Tongeren
Viola
Annemijn Bergkotte
Cello
Rebecca Wise
Stage design
Sammy Van den Heuvel
Costumes
Sasja Strengholt
Make-up & hair design
Radna Berendsen
Dramaturgy
Lalina Goddard
Visuals
Bureau Merkwaardig
Light
Tim van 't Hof, Rohan McDermott
Sound
Koen Keevel
Stagemanager
Wendy van Os
Production
Remy de Graaf, Ragazze Quartet
Co-production
O. Festival for Opera. Music. Theatre., Barbican, What You See Festival, Grand Theatre
Marketing
Ragazze Quartet
Made possible by
Lucia Lucas - bariton
Lucia Lucas is an International Singer of primarily Opera, but also creates her own content through Music, Video, and Writing. She performs on the Biggest Opera House Stages in the world as well as art festivals and one-woman shows.

She most often performs in Germany and the US.

www.lucialucas.com

Photo: Nichon Glerum
Tom Green - composer
Tom Green is a British composer of music for theatre, dance and the concert hall. He comes from a background of mixed influences – his dad is an omnivorous jazz pianist and his mum is a choral singer. As a music-obsessed teenager playing electric guitar and falling off stages in rock bands, his curiosity in Beethoven was always competing with Radiohead and co. Although his interests and musical language has moved on since then, that same tension, between what could be described as the classical tradition and pop music, still remains.

www.tomgreencomposer.com

Foto: Nichon Glerum
Jorinde Keesmaat - stage director
Jorinde Keesmaat is a Dutch director of opera and staged classical concerts. In her immersive multidisciplinary work, Keesmaat plays with the relationship between spectator and actor / musician. In her projects, she explores the possibilities of an individual approach to the public. The conventional boundaries between classical concerts, opera and theatre are of little import in her work. Instead, cross-pollination and the styling and abstraction of art disciplines play a central role.


In addition to regular theatre and concert halls, her performances regularly take place in unusual locations. In creating settings where people are allowed to look at each other, Jorinde hopes to astonish and disconcert her audience. “In a chaotic and confused world, I want to create moments that quiet and endure, pushing the spectator’s buttons to guide them to a highly personal emotion place.”

www.jorindekeesmaat.nl

Foto: Wendelien Daan
"The American transgender baritone Lucia Lucas is a formidable performer. Her presence fills the stage. Vocally, every note makes for a deeply felt experience and is given the right musical intensity. And the carefully thought-out interpretation is complemented to perfection by the Ragazze Quartet, which is fully integrated into the action - there is not a single music standard in sight throughout the performance."
Theaterkrant
“Baritone and natural force Lucia Lucas beautifully shapes the female anger in The World’s Wife. She is accompanied by the Ragazze Quartet in a staging full of elegant symbolism.”
Volkskrant
‘..it is an intense theatrical experience, a physical unleashing of emotion and music.’
The Times ****
‘..that rare thing nowadays, a totally successful music-theatre piece.’
The Guardian ****
‘The performances are eloquent and, at times, breathtaking; the performance has a powerful impact on the senses; the messages around women’s roles are necessary, topical and cogent..’
Music OMH
'There’s something deliberately disorienting about a production in which the astonishing, fiercely virtuosic Ragazze Quartet refuse to sit docile behind music stands..'
iNews
‘Lucas’ performance – vocally and theatrically – is never less than mesmerising.’
The Stage