The opera House of the Sleeping Beauties is particularly intriguing.

The opera House of the Sleeping Beauties is particularly intriguing.

Expectations were running high for ‘House of the Sleeping Beauties’, the second opera by Guy
Cassiers and Kris Defoort. The result does not disappoint.
De Standaard 11.05.2009
Kris Defoort maintains the tension in the story through this structure and the dreamy musical
atmosphere, a special melting amalgam; the night music with is hallucinatory song lines and
instrumentation contrasted with brilliant illuminating instrumental interludes that are vaguely
reminiscent of Britten.
Guy Cassiers’ direction is simple and intimate: a scarlet room with a slow movie in the background. In
this paper wall there is a recess for the dancer Kaori Ito whose trapeze-artist twists and turns portray
the sleeping girls. For the old man this is a seductive, unapproachable and inaccessible past.
Trouw 11.05.2009
It is precisely in this division (between actors and singers) and in their relationship with the luxurious
orchestral score that Defoort finds his solution to the difficulty of an ‘abstract opera’: he forces the
audience to concentrate on various levels of observation. And although this requires effort it ultimately
leaves one with a sense of deep satisfaction. Furthermore, the fact that Defoort rarely uses literal
quotations but instead implements an exuberant stylistic eclecticism is definitely a step towards his
own idiom.
De Morgen 11.05.2009
The greatest appeal for the opera lover in this opera is the beautifully attired acrobat. She floats on the
set and, in a choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, she twists and turns allowing herself to be seen
from all sides by the audience. In the third night she even clambers around like a female Spiderman.
Like the storyline, Defoort’s music is fragmented, with powerful accents. The sounds simulate the
unreal atmosphere with loud percussion sounds, shrill violins and sensually low wind instruments.
De Telegraaf 11.05.2009
This opera of Kris Defoort and Guy Cassiers forms incontestably a beautiful sensorial adventure. It is
as if the spectator finds himself “elsewhere”, as if he takes part in the nights of the protagonist.
This time also, the multisensory dimension of the direction by Guy Cassiers is secured and even so
the revelation and the preservation of essential human mysteries.
Le Jeudi, 21/05/2009
Along with ‘The House of the Sleeping Beauties’ Defoort and Cassiers sign a “choral”, magnificent and
profuse production.
With regard to the music we find an unfolded, franked Kris Defoort, using his very powerful imagination
and skills.
La Libre Belgique, 11/05/2009
The opera House of the Sleeping Beauties is particularly intriguing.
Girls that sleep numb and naked. Old men who spend their night with them without physical contact.
Kris Defoort and Guy Cassiers translated the strange and distant world of Yasunari Kawabata to the
stage in House of the Sleeping Beauties. Very different from their precedent joint project, The Woman
who Walked into Doors. This was hard, shocking and socialy relevant. Here reigns a fragile aesthetic
from a different era. The production is splendid, with a sourish, even demonic undertone. Defoort
wrote a composition in an eclectic style for thid opera. The diverse orchestral fragments stand like
blocks next to each other. Each fragment with a character of its own, like in a symphony. It is
extremely communicative music, which hesitates between romanticism, description and renewal,
without restraining the ears too much. The stage scenary follows the steps in the music.
The story of the three nights is partially conducted by the vocalists Omar Ebrahim and Barbara
Hannigan, who shape the emotions with great vocally accuracy and partially by the actors Katelijne
Verbeke and Dirk Roofthooft, who outline the thin narrative line. Above them hovers in a royal kimono,
or like a spider in its web, the ‘beauty’ aka dancer Kaori Ito.
House of the Sleeping Beauties is a production of a hypothermic beauty. The costumes are
astonashing, the scenery sober in a sophisticated way, the videoprojection is magnificent. It is also a
presentation of which you can’t immediately point out the essence. Intriguing.
Knack, 20/05/2009
th
Friday the 8 of Mai, I have seen a magnificent House of the Sleeping Beauties at De Munt (Brussels).
Kris Defoort has composed an exquisite modern opera, Guy Cassiers was the director, Sidi Larbi
Charkaoui looked after the choreography and Dirk Roofthooft was being himself. It goes without
saying that it was perfect. Lod, the Toneelhuis and the Munt united so much talent in this
Kunstenfestivaldesarts production that it felt like a privilege to live in this cultural country.
Knack, 13/05/2009
House of the Sleeping Beauties is a magnificent spectacle, which has little to do with the traditional
opera. Music, text, images, light, space and movement merge in a piece of total art. Cassiers weaves
a multisensory and moving cloth, a splendid translation of scenery of Kawabata’s subtle and sensual
art.
Le Monde, 22/05/2009
A great success for the new opera composed by the Belgian Kris Defoort.
A great success Friday night for the première of the new opera composed by Kris Defoort, ‘House of
the sleeping beauties’. The opera is based on the novel of the Japanese Yasunari Kawabata, ‘The
House of the sleeping beauties’. We find in this second opera of Kris Defoort his numerous musical
influences: jazz, baroque and even film music. The opera text, which is written togheter with the
Antwerp director Guy Cassiers and dramatist Marianne van Kerkhoven, carries us into the melancholic
universe of a man who grows old, where visual eroticism replaces the carnal deed.
Guy Cassiers has a keen sense of the scenery: hovering in the air, the young sleeping beauties are
embodied by the dancer Kaori Ito. Sleeping under silk, she moves with elegance and arouses the
desire of the man contemplating on her. Beside the young sleeping women, the man draws makes up
a sort of balance.
The two actors, Dirk Roofthooft and Katelijne Verbeke, bring us back to the theatre, they personify
soberly the dialogues of Kawabata’s book. The owner of the brothel and the client.
Kris Defoort’s House of the Sleeping Beauties is a spectacle of a magnificent aesthetic, musically
directed by Patrick Davin.
Rtbf culture, 11/05/2009
Director Guy Cassiers is one of the most exciting directors operating in Europe at present. A fine arts
graduate, he understands that the theatre is a visual form and his manipulations of images adds a
richness and texture that could not be achieved with words alone. (…) Cassiers is a master at using
space, projection and lighting to enhance inherent tensions through splits, multiplications and
divisions.
The British Theatre Guide, 11/05/2009
This opera of Kris Defoort and Guy Cassiers forms incontestably a beautiful sensorial adventure. It is as if the spectator finds himself “elsewhere”, as if he takes part in the nights of the protagonist. This time also, the multisensory dimension of the direction by Guy Cassiers is secured and even so the revelation and the preservation of essential human mysteries. Le Jeudi, 21/05/2009 Along with ‘The House of the Sleeping Beauties’ Defoort and Cassiers sign a “choral”, magnificent and profuse production. With regard to the music we find an unfolded, franked Kris Defoort, using his very powerful imagination and skills. La Libre Belgique, 11/05/2009 The opera House of the Sleeping Beauties is particularly intriguing. Girls that sleep numb and naked. Old men who spend their night with them without physical contact. Kris Defoort and Guy Cassiers translated the strange and distant world of Yasunari Kawabata to the stage in House of the Sleeping Beauties. Very different from their precedent joint project, The Woman who Walked into Doors. This was hard, shocking and socialy relevant. Here reigns a fragile aesthetic from a different era. The production is splendid, with a sourish, even demonic undertone. Defoort wrote a composition in an eclectic style for thid opera. The diverse orchestral fragments stand like blocks next to each other. Each fragment with a character of its own, like in a symphony. It is extremely communicative music, which hesitates between romanticism, description and renewal, without restraining the ears too much. The stage scenary follows the steps in the music. The story of the three nights is partially conducted by the vocalists Omar Ebrahim and Barbara Hannigan, who shape the emotions with great vocally accuracy and partially by the actors Katelijne Verbeke and Dirk Roofthooft, who outline the thin narrative line. Above them hovers in a royal kimono, or like a spider in its web, the ‘beauty’ aka dancer Kaori Ito. House of the Sleeping Beauties is a production of a hypothermic beauty. The costumes are astonashing, the scenery sober in a sophisticated way, the videoprojection is magnificent. It is also a presentation of which you can’t immediately point out the essence. Intriguing. Knack, 20/05/2009 Friday the 8th of Mai, I have seen a magnificent House of the Sleeping Beauties at De Munt (Brussels). Kris Defoort has composed an exquisite modern opera, Guy Cassiers was the director, Sidi Larbi Charkaoui looked after the choreography and Dirk Roofthooft was being himself. It goes without saying that it was perfect. Lod, the Toneelhuis and the Munt united so much talent in this Kunstenfestivaldesarts production that it felt like a privilege to live in this cultural country. Knack, 13/05/2009 The production of Guy Cassiers will not be forgotten. Rather sober scenery of Enrico Bagnoli and Arjen Klerkx, very pure gestures, subtle game of time, his broadenings and stagnations: precision work, poetic and punctual work. Les Echos, 14/05/2009 House of the Sleeping Beauties is a magnificent spectacle, which has little to do with the traditional opera. Music, text, images, light, space and movement merge in a piece of total art. Cassiers weaves a multisensory and moving cloth, a splendid translation of scenery of Kawabata’s subtle and sensual art. Le Monde, 22/05/2009 A great success for the new opera composed by the Belgian Kris Defoort. A great success Friday night for the première of the new opera composed by Kris Defoort, ‘House of the sleeping beauties’. The opera is based on the novel of the Japanese Yasunari Kawabata, ‘The House of the sleeping beauties’. We find in this second opera of Kris Defoort his numerous musical influences: jazz, baroque and even film music. The opera text, which is written togheter with the Antwerp director Guy Cassiers and dramatist Marianne van Kerkhoven, carries us into the melancholic universe of a man who grows old, where visual eroticism replaces the carnal deed. Guy Cassiers has a keen sense of the scenery: hovering in the air, the young sleeping beauties are embodied by the dancer Kaori Ito. Sleeping under silk, she moves with elegance and arouses the desire of the man contemplating on her. Beside the young sleeping women, the man draws makes up a sort of balance. The two actors, Dirk Roofthooft and Katelijne Verbeke, bring us back to the theatre, they personify soberly the dialogues of Kawabata’s book. The owner of the brothel and the client. Kris Defoort’s House of the Sleeping Beauties is a spectacle of a magnificent aesthetic, musically directed by Patrick Davin. Rtbf culture, 11/05/2009 When the final round of applause was given, we could hardly believe that this music was the work of only one man: Kris Defoort. The Belgian composer really feels at home, without a mix of genres, without postmodernism, acquired to his subject, like the musical playwrights are, from Mozart to Verdi, or more recent Boesmans. Besides the beauty of the images which pursues the spectator in his mind, this magnificent spectacle remains a ufo, an unclassifiable music and theatre object. Le soir, 11/05/2009 Director Guy Cassiers is one of the most exciting directors operating in Europe at present. A fine arts graduate, he understands that the theatre is a visual form and his manipulations of images adds a richness and texture that could not be achieved with words alone. (…) Cassiers is a master at using space, projection and lighting to enhance inherent tensions through splits, multiplications and divisions. The British Theatre Guide, 11/05/2009