Comediants. Jaume Bernadet
“All the senses”. “Musicians will become actors”. “We will work on the
musicians’ stage attitude, the concert’s scenography, the colours, lights,
smells and small objects, with the goal set towards strengthening the feelings
evoked”. This is what I said in May 2012 at the press conference to present
Comediants’ intentions for the artistic collaboration for the period of 20122013.
According to Ruben Gimeno, OSV’s director, the orchestra’s musicians’
tendency to “never say no to anything” would greatly benefit the joint
venture. A venture that was first introduced as an adventure, taking great
innovation risks. As Jordi Cos, president of the OSV, said: “the orchestra
doesn’t shy away from controversies.
A little over a year ago, right here, I stated our willingness to dramatize and
research new ways to conquer all the senses. And I was feeling particularly
thankful for the opportunity to collaborate with a group of people so ready to
step out of their comfort zone.
And so it happened that at the beginning of September 2012 we started this
adventure together. A path that began in Canet de Mar, where the members
of the orchestra rolled up their sleeves and submitted themselves to the
company’s regular training sessions. What a surprise! “Now we are doing some
gymnastics, next we are walking on our tiptoes, and then we rolled around
the floor and even played with our instruments like an actor would play with a
mask. And, of course, be careful not to break the violin’s bridge…”
Little by little we worked on every potential stage entrance. In the dark, with
fairy lights, with flowers and rosemary, dancing the pavane, becoming a
Christmas tree, entering through the stands, the stalls, in a procession, in
formation, waltzing or in a Tin Soldier-like march.
We projected snow, cakes, candy and flowers over the Palau’s organ, and we
painted portraits to the rhythm of the Tombeau de Couperin, we dressed as
musses in black tulles for the requiem, we rapped with enthusiasm and we
painted in red the cave of Falla’s Amor Brujo, we rocked to the “we will, we
will rock you” before entering with Copland’s Fanfarre and we became
metronomes while taking our hats off to an enlightened Beethoven, we lit the
Palau’s stained glass sun with the notes of Fauré’s In Paradisum, we spun
scores on record players, and we tore them, and crushed them, and we
danced and performed comedic solos in a coat, and sang Christmas carols and
played the Sleeping Beauty, and we told tales to contextualize our
performances and we told all and sundry about the different languages and
origins of the men and women who are joined in the orchestra under the
common universal language of music, from Andorra to Moldavia, going across
Valencia, Romania, Italy, France, Castilla León, Minorca, Catalonia and El
Vallès.
And we dressed in black and white, but we couldn’t change our ties… (give it
time, Mirela). And we seduced other guest directors into playing onstage with
us.
We were constantly looking for a certain complicity with the audience, and in
every single concert this complicity started with a smile and a single question:
“what do they have in store for us, today?” And this has kept us on edge but
in a different, less monotonous way, both with the musicians and with the
audience.
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Comediants. Jaume Bernadet
Being open to finding new ways to occupy the stage has eventually led to
some musicians uttering these words at the end of a concert: “Incredible!
Today we played even better!” And I feel that was what it was all about.
And now it is time to end this partnership and on behalf of Comediants, Jin
Hua, Montse, Jordi and Paca, I would like to say that we are very happy and
thankful for the experimentation and learning opportunity we have all been
given: musicians, direction, technicians, administrators, managers,
production, communication and secretary staff. Thanks for this partnership.
I hope the stage bug continues to bite you all. And let the art direction team
be just as daring so that the seed we planted may continue to grow. Keep up
with the adventure, because it will keep you awake and afresh and that, in
turn, will undoubtedly make you sound even better.
Keep going, OSV, take risks, do not get comfortable, keep growing and, more
importantly, keep being a landmark on innovation for the Spanish symphonic
orchestras,
Jaume Bernadet Munné
Comediants Artistic Director
Sabadell, July 18th 2013
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