operAct and Ensemble Variances present :
Sefarad’s Sephardic songs and music revisited by Thierry Pécou
With Gaëlle Méchaly, soprano, Thierry Pécou, composer, and the Ensemble Variances
Stephan Grögler :Conception, set designing and stage direction .
Costumes : PEACHOO+KREJBERG
Lights : Cyril Mulon
Our aim is for this project to be a truly original invitation to a voyage into an intimate memory, imbued with the past and an ancestral, traditional, learned repertoire that has highly diverse influences, drawing its sources from po- pular cultures: Bulgarian, Romanian, Serbo-Croa- tian, Bosnian, Italian, Greek, Turkish, Arabic North African, and of course Spanish. We wish to trans- mit this heritage along with the pleasure of sha- ring, the orality and the simplicity which are part of Sephardic songs, both sacred and secular. The composition of the pieces, the complexity of the rhythms, the rich blend of the timbres and the virtuosity of the musicians reveal the timelessness of these melodies which thus become very much alive and contemporary. This is equally an invitation to remember that this exiled people found a way to maintain its Judo-Hispanic tradition, which was then enriched through the contact with other cultures. Our approach is in a certain way an extension of this tradition of exchange.
This performance combines music and contemporary art by associating ancient melodies with contemporary compositions, enriching contribu tions of artists from different disciplines create a unique and unusual moment of poetry with Sephardic song at the heart of the work.
Its form: both a recital and a staged performance.
Its scenic qualities: an autonomous object-sculpture-space that does not require any specific theatre equipment (an ordinary electrical connection is all that is needed). It can be performed in traditional venues as well as in more atypical settings, such as contemporary arts museums, industrial wastelands, public spaces, etc. The performance space can be ‘bifrontal’ or ‘circular’ depending on the acoustics.
Its multidisciplinary aspect: a staged concert that associates ancient songs and contemporary compositions, a musical style that is rooted in tradition with lighting inspired by contemporary art, staged in a style and with plastic elements that are closely linked to the main theme. This is in fact a harmonious synthesis of the contributions of artists who come from extremely varied horizons.

With :Gaëlle Méchaly, soprano
Ensemble Variances
Anne Cartel, flûte
Carjez Gerretsen, clarinette
Laurène Durantel, contrebasse
Thierry Pécou, piano
Karim Touré, percussions

Conception, set designing and stage direction : Stephan Grögler
Costumes : PEACHOO+KREJBERGMetteur

Sefarad's/ Contact :
[email protected]