‘Equi Voci’: dancing at the Aral Sea

Classical music and art, part two. And unfortunately: a rather short part. I was rather disappointed by Equi Voci, a collaboration between filmmaker/composer Thierry De Mey and the Brussels Philharmonic. Sure, I spent a perfectly wonderful evening at Flagey (Brussels), last week, with some great classical music (Debussy’s La Mer, Ravel’s Ma Mère L’Oye) and beautiful videos by De Mey (he premiered Prélude à La Mer, with dancers Cynthia Loemij and Mark Lorimer, shot at the Aral Sea, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). But it still was what it has always been: an orchestra accompanying a film. Apparently De Mey was able to adjust the speed of his images, when necessary, to the tempo of the orchestra. But did that make a difference, from a viewer’s point? No. Art and classical music, live on stage? I’m still waiting for a project that will really blow my mind. (photo credit: Julien Lambert)