Kris Defoort HOUSE OF THE SLEEPING BEAUTIES in three Nights

Based on the stage production by Guy Cassiers Libretto by Guy Cassiers, Kris Defoort and Marianne Van Kerkhoven, based on the book by Yasunari Kawabata

Barbara Hannigan (soprano) – The Women Omar Ebrahim (baritone) – The Old Man Susanne Duwe, Alice Foccroulle, Susanne Hawkins, Els Mondelaers (chorus) – The Sleeping Beauties

Dirk Roofthooft (actor) – The Old Man Katelijne Verbeke (actress) – Madam

Asko|Schönberg Jeannette Landré, /piccolo/bass flute – Marieke Schut, oboe/English horn – David Kwek- silber, /bass clarinet – Remko Edelaar, bassoon/contrabassoon – Jan Harshagen, Jaap van der Vliet/Pieter Hunfeld, French horns – Bianca Egberts, – Toon van Ulsenn, bass – Jan Erik van Regteren Altena & Michiel Commandeur, 1st violins – Lisanne Soeter- beek & Vera van der Bie, 2d violins – Hannah Shaw, David Marks, Stephanie Steiner, viola – Doris Hochscheid & Marjolein Meijer, celli – Pieter Smithuijsen, - René Eckhardt, /celesta – Ernestine Stoop/Godelieve Schrama, harp – Joey Marijs & Ger de Zeeuw/Fedor Teunisse, percussion

Patrick Davin – conductor

Piano improvisations by Kris Defoort

3 World Premiere: May 8 th 2009 at the Théatre Royal de /De Munt, – Theatre Direction Guy Cassiers – Dramaturgy Marianne Van Kerkhoven assisted by Corien Baart, Erwin Jans, Marie Roofthooft, Natasha Schulte & Nienke Scholts – Choreography Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – Set Design Enrico Bagnoli & Arjen Klerkx – Light Design Enrico Bagnoli – Video Arjen Klerkx – Costumes Tim Van Steenbergen – Dance Kaori Ito – Copyist Wim Hoogewerf – Repetitors Inge Spinette & David Miller – Reduction piano Inge Spinette & Wim Hoogewerf – Assistant theatre direction Lut Lievens – Assistant conduc- tor Antoine Marguier – Assistant choreography Nienke Reehorst – Assistant costumes Mieke Van Buggenhout – Maquillage & clothing Carmen Van Nyvelseel – Technique Oliver Houttekiet, Lieven De Meyere, Marc Combas, Chris Vanneste & Tom Van Overberghe – Production manager Kristel Deweerdt – Production development Valérie Martino

Production: LOD (Ghent), Toneelhuis (), La Monnaie/De Munt (Brussels)

Coproduction: Grand-Théâtre de Luxembourg, Asko|Schönberg (Amsterdam, NL), Musica – festival international des musiques d’aujourd’hui de Strasbourg (FR), La Filature (Mulhouse, FR), Operadagen Rotterdam

With the support of: Orchestre National de Belgique/Nationaal Orkest van België, BOZAR Music, Ars Musica, Concertgebouw Brugge, KunstenFestivaldesArts.

Special thanks to LOD (Ghent) – Toneelhuis (Antwerp) - La Monnaie/De Munt (Brussels)

“I want to thank everyone at LOD for their support throughout the years. Also my warm regards towards all the wonderful artists involved in this project and Maaike Wuyts from Aubergine Artist Management”. Kris Defoort

4 CD I CD II 1_ Ouverture 2’23 1_ Prelude Third Night 2’08

The First Night The Third Night 2_ Scene 1 3’57 2_ Scene 1 4’49 3_ Scene 2 14’05 3_ Scene 2 21’42 4_ Scene 3 1’02 4_ Scene 3 1’17

5_ Prelude Second Night 2’57 5_ Epilogue 4’09

The Second Night Total Time 34’11 6_ Scene 1 5’43 7_ Scene 2 21’59 8_ Scene 3 2’32

Total time 54’45

Recorded live in Brussels, Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie/De Munt, 12-13.05.2009 – Sound engineers: Eric Stevens, Francis Willems & Geert De Deken/RTBF Musiq’3 – Editing, mixing, mastering: Vincent De Bast & Kris Defoort at DA-recording, Brussels – Producer: Kris Defoort for Soundplaza – Photographs: Kurt Van der Elst – Design: Michel De Backer for mpointpro- duction – Production assistance: Maaike Wuyts & Ilse Schoonackers (Aubergine Artist Manage- ment) – Licensed to Fuga Libera/Outhere s.a. – Executive production: Michel Stockhem

All compositions by Kris Defoort ©Pentimento Publishing

5 nederlands

Kris Defoort in de ogen van Philippe Boesmans - Opgetekend door Serge Martin Je kunt je maar moeilijk een welwillender artiest voorstellen dan Kris Defoort: beschikbaar, glimlachend, geestig en vriendelijk. Maar zodra je hem vraagt om over zichzelf te praten, verdwijnt zijn glimlach en ver- andert hij van onderwerp. Je kunt onmogelijk zijn gedachten lezen of een beeld krijgen van de experimentele wereld in z’n hoofd. Om de man als musicus beter te leren kennen, richtten we ons tot Philippe Boesmans, een van zijn favoriete mentoren. Dat maakte onze taak er niet eenvoudiger op, want de componist van Julie wijst resoluut ieder etiket van ‘magister’ af: hij wil geen leermeester, corrector of gids heten. Hij is niet meer dan een reisgenoot met wie informele uitwisselingen plaatsvinden en aan wie al eens een partituur ter bespreking wordt voorgelegd. SERGE MARTIN

Hoe hebt u Kris Defoort leren kennen? In Luik, waar het conservatorium toen werd geleid door , die alle ramen wilde opengooien om er een nieuwe wind te laten binnenwaaien. Hij had als eerste in een Belgisch conservatorium een jazzklas ingericht, en die lokte heel wat mensen. Kris kwam uit een heel andere wereld. Hij had blokfluit en oude muziek gestudeerd aan het conservatorium van Ant- werpen, maar hij improviseerde ook als pianist bij jazzensembles en wilde in die richting voort- gaan. Zijn muzikale achtergrond bestond toen vooral uit klassieke muziek en jazz, maar hij was ook echt geïnteresseerd in hedendaagse muziek. Een groepje studenten dat graag nieuwe dingen wilde ontdekken kwam me geregeld opzoeken, mensen van diverse horizonten met wie ik lange nachtelijke gesprekken voerde. Kris Defoort was een van hen. Hij was dus nooit een leerling van mij, wel een ‘compagnon de route’.

6 Is er een verband tussen zijn jazzactiviteiten en zijn compositiewerk? Ja, wanneer hij zogenaamd ‘klassieke’ muziek schrijft, een strijkkwartet of een opera, benadert hij de muziek als een jazzimprovisator, met andere woorden, iemand die wil dat iedere noot expres- sief is. Hiervoor zoekt hij heel diep in zijn compositiestijl, die steeds trefzekerder wordt, zodat de draagwijdte van iedere noot helder wordt – qua duur, accenten en kleur. Voor hem moet iedere noot, ieder muzikaal teken ‘sprekend’ zijn. Als hij al twijfels heeft, is dat omdat hij zich afvraagt of iets wel veelzeggend is. Deze aanpak vinden bepaalde hedendaagse componisten hoegenaamd niet vanzelfsprekend. Zij bekommeren zich soms meer om de formele uitwerking van hun par- tituur. Kris Defoort zal niet gauw over zijn muziek spreken. Ze moet op zichzelf volstaan. Dat wil niet zeggen dat zijn ‘klassieke’ muziek ooit op jazz in een klassiek kleedje lijkt.

Hoe zou u zijn stijl dan omschrijven? Als een originele stijl, beïnvloed door jazzharmonieën, maar op een indirecte, onderliggende manier. Wanneer je zijn partituren hoort, krijg je nooit de indruk dat het jazz is. Zijn muziek heeft altijd een harmonische basis, zelfs wanneer hij polyfonisch schrijft.

Wat is de drijfveer achter zijn compositieaanpak? Hij kan niets schrijven wat hij niet in zichzelf hoort. Hij componeert zowel aan een tafel als aan de piano. Anderzijds wil hij altijd meteen spelen wat hij heeft geschreven. Spelen en com- poneren liggen voor hem in elkaars verlengde.

Voor welk soort advies kwam hij bij u aankloppen? Na zijn studies in Luik woonde Kris Defoort geruime tijd in , de wereld van de improvisatie, waar hij het contact met de compositie wat kwijtraakte. Hij vroeg me dus vooral advies over de notatie. Dat sloot perfect aan bij zijn visie dat iedere noot pertinent moet zijn en alles moet uitdrukken wat ze te vertellen heeft. Dat is in zijn ogen slechts mogelijk als alles zo precies mogelijk wordt genoteerd, als hij nauwkeurig zijn verbeelding kan uitschrijven. Ik geloof dat componisten zoals hij beter zijn dan diegenen die niet dezelfde weg volgen, ondanks de complexen die iemand zoals Kris Defoort (ten onrechte) soms heeft ten opzichte van ‘tech-

7 nisch beter’ onderlegde collega’s. In feite kan hij zich die vrijheid veroorloven omdat hij niet verblind is door de ballast van de geschiedenis van de hedendaagse muziek. Hij heeft vele uit- eenlopende dingen gehoord tijdens zijn verblijven in Luik en New York, en heeft onbewust een synthese gemaakt van al die gegevens. Met die bagage componeert hij.

Hoe pakt hij zijn compositiearbeid doorgaans aan? Meestal componeert hij zijn muziek in de volgorde van het libretto. Hij dompelt zich graag onder in een bepaalde sfeer. Voor zijn tweede opera, House of the Sleeping Beauties, heeft hij eerst het eerste en het derde bedrijf gecomponeerd, vlak na elkaar, omdat die allebei in dezelfde dro- merige sfeer baden. Daarna pas schreef hij het tweede bedrijf, dat intrinsiek dramatischer is.

Je hoort dus een grote continuïteit in zijn muziek? Er is inderdaad veel continuïteit, want hij is iemand die in zijn muziek een organische samen- hang nastreeft, in het bijzonder door het hele werk lang een subtiele relatie in stand te houden tussen spanning en ontspanning. Ieder muzikaal moment houdt verband met alles wat al is gezegd en wat nog komen gaat. Dit procedé verleent een grote dramatische kracht aan de han- deling, want zo versterken de verschillende muzikale momenten elkaar. Kris Defoort grift op die manier iets in het geheugen van de toehoorder wat deze niet noodzakelijk heeft opge- merkt, maar het zal hem wel opvallen wanneer er later naar wordt terugverwezen.

Hoe kiest hij zijn libretto’s? Zijn ontmoeting en samenwerking met Guy Cassiers was daarin van fundamenteel belang, maar hij staat zelf ten volle achter de keuze van zijn libretto’s. Het Engels is voor Kris Defoort zowat een tweede taal geworden – hij leest zeer veel in die taal – en daarom schrijft hij zijn libretto’s ook in het Engels. Door de nauwe band met de hedendaagse roman krijgen zijn ope- ra’s iets doorleefds. Je hebt altijd de indruk dat je echte personages voor je ziet, geen archety- pes. Defoort weet zich ook met zijn personages te identificeren. Hij leeft echt mee met de mishandelde vrouw in The Woman Who Walked into Doors of de nostalgische man in House of the Sleeping Beauties. Hij heeft mededogen met die ‘losers’.

8 Heeft hij misschien ook een romantische kant? Zijn muziek heeft in ieder geval soms een veristische kant, in de nobele zin van het woord. Kris Defoort durft te spreken over de dingen die hij ziet. Als hij zich ongelukkig voelt, schrijft hij Tranen. Je kunt je daarentegen niet voorstellen dat Boulez een stuk schrijft over zijn eigen geluk of verdriet. Kris Defoort vindt dat daarentegen, net zoals vele jazzmusici, heel normaal, maar wanneer hij eenmaal die keuze heeft gemaakt, doet hij er alles aan om ervoor te zorgen dat wat hij zegt waarachtig klinkt. Daarom beschouw ik hem als een “verist”.

Hoe behandelt hij de zanglijn in zijn opera’s? Zijn zanglijn weerspiegelt uiteraard de invloed van het Engels: Engelse medeklinkers maken een zeer natuurlijke expressie mogelijk, waaraan hij zeer veel belang hecht. Zijn zangpartijen doen soms aan blues denken, maar ondergaan ook andere invloeden, bijvoorbeeld de muziek van Britten. Ik geloof dat deze invloeden niet expliciet zijn. Ze inspireren hem spontaan, vanuit de vele muziek die hij heeft gehoord dankzij zijn diverse ervaringen en ontmoetingen. Op thea- traal gebied schrijft hij geen dialoogopera’s maar sfeeropera’s. Hij legt zich toe op de sfeer waarin zijn personages zichzelf uitdrukken, vaak in monologen. Alleen de vrouw in The Woman Who Walked into Doors spreekt; alleen de man in House of the Sleeping Beauties droomt.

Welke rol speelt het orkest in zijn opera’s? In zijn opera’s vervult het orkest een bij uitstek dramatische functie; Kris Defoort is onover- troffen in het introduceren van een thema waarmee hij meteen een sfeer neerzet. Kris Defoort componeert nooit – en dit is van fundamenteel belang – volgens vooraf bepaalde schema’s. Zijn muziekstijl ontwikkelt zich naarmate zijn werk gestalte krijgt. Zijn muziek is niet gemak- kelijk om te spelen, maar aangezien ze zeer goed geschreven is, geeft ze niet de indruk moei- lijk te zijn. Zoals bij vele grote componisten (Schumann, Debussy) voel je nooit het gewicht van de compositie. Zijn muziek is rijk, ambigu, zinnelijk en ‘free’. VERTALING: J EROEN DE KEYSER

9 Kris Defoort (°1959) Kris Defoort stu deerde blokfluit en oude muziek aan het conservatorium van Antwerpen (Bart- hold Kuijken, Koen Dieltiens, Jos Van Immerseel, Balderick Deerenberg) en volgde jazzpiano, compositie en vrije improvisatie aan het conservatorium van Luik (Dennis Luxion, , , Phi lippe Boesmans).

Tussen 1987 en 1990 woonde Kris Defoort in New York, de bakermat van de jazz. Hij volgde masterclasses met Fred Hersh, David Berger en Paul Bley, maar was vooral actief als jazzpianist. Hij speelde met de Lionel Hampton Big Band (guest Dizzy Gillespie), Jack de Johnette, Adam Nussbaum, Reggie Workman, Mike Formanek, Barry Altschul, Vince Herring, , Tito Puento, Lee Konitz, Hannibal Peterson, en vele anderen.

Terug in België (1991) zette Kris Defoort zijn muzikale weg verder: als componist, improvi- serend pianist en groepsleider van het sextet KD’s Base ment Party, zijn trio KD’s Decade, , Dreamtime en recent Sound Plaza (met , Jim Black en ). Dankzij onder meer de steun van kunstencentrum (Brugge), werden verschillende van zijn projecten uitgebracht op cd. Kris Defoort werkte ook samen met verschillende per- formers en gezelschappen uit de hedendaagse jazz scene (Jim Black, Mark Turner, , Vegetable Beauty, Garrett List, Paul Rodgers, enz.).

Sinds 1998 is Kris Defoort componist in residentie bij LOD (Gent), een productiehuis voor hedendaags muziektheater. Samen met Fatou Traoré creëerde hij de dansvoorstelling Passages (2001) dat vertoond werd op verschillende befaamde Europese festivals (Festival d’Avignon, Salzburg, Charleroi-Danse, enz.).

Eind 2001 componeerde Kris Defoort in opdracht van LOD, Ro theater, deSingel, De Munt en anderen de opera The Woman Who Walked into Doors, gebaseerd op het gelijknamige boek van Roddy Doyle. Deze opera, geregisseerd door Guy Cassiers, maakte een indrukwekkende tournee doorheen Europa (Duisburg, Ruhrtriennale, Parijs, Straatsburg, Brussel, Dublin,

10 Zürich, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerpen…) en werd zowel door pers als door publiek lovend ontvangen.

In 2002 schreef Kris Defoort Conversations with the Past, een werk voor blazers, piano, harp, contrabas en percussie in opdracht van de Filharmonie (Antwerpen). In hetzelfde jaar ver- scheen Sound Plaza, een new jazz-cd in samenwerking met saxofonist Mark Turner, bassist Nic Thys en drummer Jim Black.

Eind 2003 creëerde Kris Defoort zijn Stringquartet n°1 samen met ConVerSations/ConSerVations, een project gebaseerd op renaissancemuziek. Samen met de sopraan Claron McFadden, Dreamtime en het Danelkwartet zocht hij opnieuw naar een synthese tussen oud en nieuw, tussen klassiek en jazz.

Sinds 2005 werkt Kris Defoort aan diverse projecten. Tijdens het seizoen 2006-2007 was hij ‘artist in residence’ in het Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (BOZAR), waar hij in al zijn facetten werd getoond: als improviserend jazzpianist én als componist. Zo creëerde Jan Michiels er zijn pianocyclus Dedicatio (negen muzikale brieven). In opdracht van de Koningin Elizabethwed- strijd 2007 componeerde Kris Defoort het opgelegde werk voor pianosolo.

Op 8 mei 2009 ging zijn tweede opera House of the Sleeping Beauties (productie LOD, Toneel- huis, De Munt), geregisseerd door Guy Cassiers, in wereldpremière in De Munt te Brussel. Momenteel werkt Kris Defoort aan Brodsky Concerts, een voorstelling gebaseerd op teksten van , waarbij hij samen met acteur Dirk Roofthooft op de scene staat. Intussen blijft Kris Defoort actief als improviserend pianist in verschillende bezettingen.

Kris Defoort is docent compositie/ arrangement & vrije improvisatie aan het Conservatorium van Brussel. CONTACT KRIS DEFOORT: WWW.AUBERGINE-AM.COM VERDERE BIOGRAFIEËN VAN DE UITVOERDERS OP HTTP://CARMEN.DEMUNT.BE MEER INFO OVER DE PODIUMPRODUCTIE OP WWW.LOD.BE

11 français

Kris Defoort vu par Philippe Boesmans – propos recueillis par Serge Martin Difficile d’imaginer un artiste plus affable que Kris Defoort. Disponible, souriant, spirituel, le compositeur parle avec gentillesse. Mais ne vous avisez pas de lui parler de lui-même car, alors, son visage se referme, son sourire disparaît, et il suggère de parler d’autre chose. Impossible de connaître le résultat de ses cogita- tions, comme d’entrer dans le laboratoire de ses expériences. Il ne restait donc qu’une solution pour appro- cher l’homme musicien: se tourner vers un de ses mentors favoris, Philippe Boesmans. La tâche n’en est pas plus simple, car l’auteur de Julie refuse toute appellation de «magister»: ni professeur, ni relecteur, ni guide. Tout simplement un compagnon de route avec lequel on échange, avec qui on discute, de manière infor- melle, d’une partition. SERGE MARTIN

Comment avez-vous connu Kris Defoort? C’était à Liège, Henri Pousseur dirigeait le conservatoire et s’attelait à percer de grandes fenê- tres pour y faire souffler le vent d’un siècle qui bougeait. Il avait été le premier à ouvrir une classe de jazz dans un conservatoire belge. Kris Defoort venait d’un univers très différent. Il avait étudié la flûte à bec et la musique ancienne au conservatoire d’Anvers, mais il pratiquait aussi l’improvisation comme pianiste avec des ensembles de jazz et voulait pousser plus loin l’expé- rience. C’était un esprit curieux, dont la culture à l’époque était davantage nourrie de l’uni- vers classique et du jazz, mais qui montrait un véritable intérêt pour la musique contemporaine. Un petit cercle d’étudiants avide de découvertes venait me voir régulièrement, des gens de tous horizons et nous avions de longues conversations nocturnes. Kris en faisait partie. Ce ne fut donc jamais un élève. Plutôt un compagnon de route.

12 Existe-t-il un lien entre son activité de jazzman et son travail de composition? Oui. Quand il écrit de la musique dite «classique», un quatuor ou un opéra, il a la même atti- tude face à la musique qu’un improvisateur de jazz, c’est-à-dire quelqu’un qui veut que chaque note soit expressive. Cela le conduit à une recherche en profondeur dans son écriture, qui se fait de plus en plus précise, de sorte que la portée de chaque note devienne très claire, sur sa durée, ses accents, sa couleur. Pour lui, chaque note, chaque signe musical doit parler. S’il a un doute, c’est parce qu’il croit que quelque chose ne parle pas. C’est une démarche qui ne va pas de soi auprès de certains compositeurs d’aujourd’hui, parfois plus impliqués dans le devenir formel de la partition qu’ils composent. Kris Defoort est quelqu’un qui ne parle pas facilement de sa musique; elle doit exister par elle-même. Mais attention, sa musique «classique» ne res- semblera jamais à une musique de jazz sous des habits classiques.

Comment définiriez-vous alors son langage? C’est un langage original qui est influencé par l’harmonie du jazz, mais indirectement, de façon sous-jacente. Quand on écoute une des partitions écrites, on n’a jamais l’impression que c’est du jazz. Sa musique a toujours un support harmonique, même s’il écrit de façon polyphonique.

Quel est le ressort de son mécanisme de composition? Il ne sait pas écrire ce qu’il n’entend pas. Il compose aussi bien à la table qu’au piano. Mais il ne peut par contre pas s’empêcher de jouer ce qu’il écrit. Jouer et composer font chez lui par- tie d’une même démarche.

Quels types de conseils vous demandait-il? Après ses études à Liège, il a vécu tout un temps à New York dans le monde de l’improvisation et avait perdu un peu le contact avec l’écriture. Il me demandait donc surtout des conseils de nota- tion. Cela entre tout à fait dans sa démarche, qui exige que chaque note soit pertinente et exprime tout ce qu’elle a à dire. Pour lui, ce n’est possible que si tout est indiqué avec un maximum de pré- cision – il a besoin de noter avec justesse son imaginaire. Personnellement, je pense que des com- positeurs de son type ont une réelle supériorité sur ceux qui n’accomplissent pas le même chemin,

13 même si quelqu’un comme Kris Defoort a parfois, à tort, des complexes par rapport à des col- lègues plus «savants». En réalité, c’est parce qu’il n’est pas aveuglé par le poids de l’histoire de la musique contemporaine qu’il peut témoigner d’une telle liberté. Kris Defoort a une culture de mémoire et il a entendu beaucoup de choses différentes lors de son séjour à Liège et à New York. Il a fait une synthèse inconsciente de toutes ces données et c’est avec ce bagage-là qu’il compose.

Comment perçoit-il globalement son travail? Normalement, il compose sa musique dans l’ordre du livret. C’est toutefois quelqu’un qui aime s’imprégner d’une ambiance. Ainsi, pour son deuxième opéra, House of the Sleeping Beauties, il a d’abord écrit les premier et troisième actes dans une même foulée car tous deux baignent dans une même ambiance onirique. Et il a terminé par le deuxième acte, plus intrinsèquement dramatique.

Il y a donc chez lui une continuité de l’écoute? Inévitablement, car c’est quelqu’un qui cherche à donner à sa musique une cohérence orga- nique, notamment en maintenant un rapport subtil de tension-détente tout au long de l’œu- vre. Chaque moment est en même temps fonction de ce qui a été dit et de ce qui va être dit. Ce processus donne une grande force dramatique au déroulement de l’action, car les moments de musique se renforcent entre eux. Kris Defoort incruste ainsi dans la mémoire de l’auditeur quelque chose que ce dernier n’a pas nécessairement repéré mais qui va lui sauter aux oreilles quand on y fera référence un peu plus tard.

Comment choisit-il ses livrets? La rencontre avec Guy Cassiers a été fondamentale, mais il a toujours assumé à 100% le choix de ses livrets. Il lit beaucoup en anglais, qui est devenu sa deuxième langue. C’est pour cette raison que ses livrets sont écrits dans cette langue. La proximité du roman contemporain apporte à ses opéras un élément de vécu. On a toujours l’impression d’avoir devant soi de vrais personnages et non des archétypes. Il y a aussi chez Kris Defoort une capacité à s’identifier avec ses personnages. Il a beaucoup de tendresse pour la femme battue de The Woman Who Walked into Doors ou l’homme nostalgique de House of the Sleeping Beauties. Il a de la compassion pour ces «losers».

14 Y aurait-il quelque chose de romantique dans son personnage? Sa musique en tout cas peut avoir un côté vériste au sens noble du terme. Il ose parler des choses qu’il vit. S’il se sent triste, il écrira Tranen («Larmes»). On n’imagine pas Boulez écri- vant une pièce sur sa joie ou sur son chagrin. Pour Kris Defoort, comme pour beaucoup de musiciens de jazz, c’est une démarche tout à fait naturelle, mais une fois ce choix effectué, il va mettre un soin extrême pour que ce qu’il dit soit et sonne vrai. C’est en cela que je le qualifie de «vériste».

Quelle est sa relation au chant dans ses opéras? Sa ligne vocale reflète naturellement l’influence de l’anglais: les consonances anglaises permet- tent une expression très naturelle à laquelle il tient beaucoup. Son chant évoque évidemment parfois le blues mais aussi d’autres origines, comme la musique de Britten. Je crois surtout que ces influences ne sont pas explicites. Ces moments lui viennent naturellement à l’esprit à par- tir du grand fonds de réserve musical qu’il s’est constitué au fil des expériences et des rencon- tres. Théâtralement, ses opéras ne sont pas des opéras de dialogue, ce sont des opéras d’ambiance. Il travaille sur des climats dans lesquels les personnages s’expriment, souvent dans des mono- logues. La femme seule de The Woman Who Walked into Doors parle; l’homme seul de House of the Sleeping Beauties rêve.

Quel est le rôle de son orchestre à l’opéra? Son orchestre «crée» véritablement le théâtre; Kris Defoort n’a pas son pareil pour prendre un thème et, tout de suite, imposer un climat. Il ne compose jamais – et ceci me semble fonda- mental – selon des schémas préétablis. Sa langue musicale se développe et s’invente au fur et à mesure du déroulement de l’œuvre. Sa musique n’est pas facile à jouer mais comme elle est très bien écrite elle donne l’impression de ne pas être difficile. Et surtout, comme chez beaucoup de grands compositeurs (Schumann, Debussy), on ne sent jamais la lourdeur de l’écriture. Sa musique est riche, ambiguë, charnelle et «free».

15 Kris Defoort (°1959) Kris Defoort a étudié la flûte à bec et la musique ancienne au Koninklijk Vlaams Conservato- rium d’Anvers (Barthold Kuijken, Koen Dieltiens, Jos Van Immerseel, Balderick Deerenberg) et a suivi une formation de piano jazz, composition et improvisation au Conservatoire royal de Liège (Dennis Luxion, Frederic Rzewski, Garrett List, Phi lippe Boesmans).

De 1987 à 1990, Kris Defoort réside à New York, berceau du jazz. Il y suit des masterclasses auprès de Fred Hersh, David Berger et Paul Bley; son activité principale est alors le piano jazz. Il a joué avec le Lionel Hampton Big Band (avec en «guest» Dizzy Gillespie), avec Jack de Joh- nette, Adam Nussbaum, Reggie Work man, Mike Formanek, Barry Altschul, Vince Herring, Judy Niemack, Tito Puento, Lee Konitz et Hannibal Peterson, pour n’en citer que quelques-uns.

À son retour en Belgique en 1991, Kris Defoort poursuit sa trajectoire musicale: compositeur, pianiste improvisateur, leader du sextet KD’s Base ment Party, du trio KD’s Decade, d’Octurn, de Dreamtime et plus récemment de Sound Plaza (avec Mark Turner, Jim Black et Nicolas Thys). Grâce entre autres au soutien du centre culturel De Werf à , plusieurs de ces pro- jets se verront édités en cd. Kris Defoort a également collaboré avec divers interprètes ou groupes de la scène jazz contemporaine (Jim Black, Mark Turner, Aka Moon, Vegetable Beauty, Garrett List, Paul Rodgers, etc.).

Depuis 1998, Kris Defoort est compositeur en résidence auprès de la compagnie de théâtre musical contemporain LOD à Gand. Avec Fatou Traoré, il a créé le spectacle dansé Passages (2001), qui a paru sur la scène de plusieurs festivals de renom en Europe (Festival d’Avignon, Salzbourg, Charleroi-Danse…).

Fin 2001, Kris Defoort, répondant à une commande émanant de LOD, de Ro theater, deSingel et de La Monnaie (entre autres), compose l’opéra The Woman Who Walked into Doors, basé sur le livre éponyme de Roddy Doyle. Cet opéra, dans une mise en scène de Guy Cassiers, fera le tour d’Europe (Duisbourg, Triennale de la Ruhr, Paris, Strasbourg, Bruxelles, Dublin, Zurich,

16 Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Anvers…), recevant les louanges appuyées de la presse et du public.

En 2002, Kris Defoort écrit Conversations with the Past, une œuvre pour cuivres, piano, harpe, contrebasse et percussion pour de Filharmonie (Anvers). La même année paraît Sound Plaza, un nouveau cd jazz en collaboration avec le saxophoniste Mark Turner, le bassiste Nicolas Thys et le percussionniste Jim Black.

Fin 2003 suivent le Premier Quatuor à cordes et ConVerSations/ConSerVations, un projet basé sur la musique de la Renaissance. Avec la soprano Claron McFadden, Dreamtime le quatuor Danel, il approfondit sa recherche de synthèse entre ancien et moderne, entre classique et jazz.

Depuis 2005 Kris Defoort a travaillé à plusieurs projets. Artiste en résidence du Palais des Beaux- Arts (BOZAR) pendant la saison 2006-07, il déploie toutes ses facettes: pianiste improvisateur jazz et compositeur. À cette occasion, Jan Michiels créé son cycle pour piano Dedicatio (neuf lettres en musique). À la demande du Concours Reine Elisabeth, il écrit l’œuvre pour piano seul imposé lors de l’édition 2007.

Le 8 mai 2009, le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie donne la création mondiale à Bruxelles de son deuxième opéra, House of the Sleeping Beauties (production LOD, Toneelhuis, la Monnaie),dans une mise en scène de Guy Cassiers. En ce moment, Kris Defoort travaille ses Brodsky Concerts, une spectacle basé sur des textes de Joseph Brodsky, dans lequel il occupe la scène avec l’acteur Dirk Roofthooft. Kris Defoort reste également actif comme pianiste improvisateur dans diffé- rentes formations.

Kris Defoort est professeur de composition/arrangement et improvisation libre au Koninklijk Conservatorium van Brussel. CONTACT KRIS DEFOORT: WWW.AUBERGINE-AM.COM LES BIOGRAPHIES DES INTERPRÈTES À L’OPÉRA PEUVENT ÊTRE TÉLÉCHARGÉES SUR LE SITE HTTP://CARMEN.LAMONNAIE.BE. P LUS D’INFO SUR LA PRODUCTION : WWW.LOD.BE

17 english

Kris Defoort as seen by Philippe Boesmans – Interview compiled by Serge Martin Difficult to imagine a more affable artist than Kris Defoort. Forthcoming, smiling, witty, the composer has a kindly way of speaking. Yet do not think of speaking to him about himself, for, in that case, his face becomes a blank, his smile disappears, and he suggests talking of something else. Impossible to know the result of his cogitations, impossible too to enter his experimental laboratory. There is only one solution for getting close to the musician: turn towards one of his favourite mentors, Philippe Boesmans. The task is far from straightforward, as the composer of Julie refuses any title of ‘magister’: neither teacher, nor proof-reader, nor guide. Quite simply a travelling companion with whom there is an exchange, with whom one discusses, with informality, a score. SERGE MARTIN

How did you become acquainted with Kris Defoort? It was in Liège, Henri Pousseur was in charge of the conservatory and set about opening up big windows to let in the air of a century that was on the move. He had been the first to set up a jazz class in a Belgian conservatory. Kris Defoort came from an entirely different world. He had stud- ied the recorder together with early music at the Antwerp Conservatory, but he also practised improvisation as a pianist with jazz ensembles and wanted to carry that experience further. His was an enquiring mind, his culture at the time nurtured more by the classical world and jazz, yet he showed a real interest in contemporary music. A small circle of students thirsting for discov- eries came to see me regularly, people from every horizon, and we had long night-time conver- sations. Kris took part in them. So he was never a pupil. More a travelling companion. 18 Is there a link between his activity as a jazz player and his composing? Yes. When he writes so-called ‘classical’ music, a string or an opera, he has the same atti- tude to music as an jazz improviser, that is to say someone who wants each note to be expres- sive. This leads him to an in-depth exploration of his writing, which becomes ever more precise, in such a way that the scope of each note becomes very clear as to its duration, its accents, its colour. For him, each note, each musical sign should speak. If he has doubts, it’s because he believes something is not speaking. It’s an approach that for some composers today is not self- evident as they are at times more involved in the formal design of the score they are compos- ing. Kris Defoort is someone who does not easily speak of his music; it has to exist in its own right. But be careful, his ‘classical’ music will never look like jazz music in classical dress.

So how would you define his language? It’s an original language that is influenced by the harmonies of jazz, but in an indirect manner, below the surface. When you listen to one of his written scores you never have the impression that it is jazz. His music always has a harmonic support, even if it uses polyphony.

What is the mainspring of his way of composing? He cannot write what he does not hear. He composes at a table as much as at the piano. Yet on the other hand he cannot stop himself playing what he writes. Playing and composing for him are part of the same approach.

What sort of advice did he ask you? After his studies in Liège, he lived for quite a while in New York in the world of improvisation and had somewhat lost contact with writing. He especially used to ask me advice about nota- tion. That corresponds completely to his approach, one requiring each note to be relevant and to express everything it is supposed to. For him, this is only possible if everything is indicated with a maximum of precision – he needs to note down his imaginings with accuracy. Person- ally I think composers like him have a genuine superiority over those who don’t go down the same road, even if someone like Kris Defoort sometimes, and wrongly, has a complex with

19 regard to colleagues who are more ‘knowledgeable’. In reality, it’s because he is not over- whelmed by the weight of the history of contemporary music that he can enjoy such freedom. Kris Defoort has a culture of memory and he has heard many different things in the course of his stays in Liège and New York. He has made an unconscious synthesis of all these data and it’s with those things that he composes.

How does he view his work as a whole? Normally he composes his music in the order of the libretto. Even so he is someone who likes to soak up an atmosphere. For his second opera, for example, House of the Sleeping Beauties, he started by writing the first and third acts at one go as both were bathed in the same dream-like atmosphere. And he ended with the second act, which is more inherently dramatic.

So there is with him continuity in the listening process? Inevitably, as he is someone who seeks to give his music organic coherence, notably by main- taining a subtle relationship between tension and release throughout the work. Every moment is at the same time a function of what has been stated and what will be stated. This process gives great dramatic strength to the unfolding of the action, as the musical moments reinforce each other. Kris Defoort in this way lodges in the listener’s memory something the latter has not nec- essarily noticed but that will leap to his attention when referred to a bit later.

How does he choose his librettos? Meeting Guy Cassiers was fundamental, but he has always assumed 100 % the responsibility for the choice of his librettos. He reads in English a lot, it’s become his second language, which is why his librettos are written in that language. A proximity with the contemporary novel has brought to his a real-life element. You always have the impression you are facing real characters and not archetypes. Kris Defoort also has the ability to identify himself with his characters. He has a lot of tenderness for the battered woman in The Woman Who Walked into Doors or the nostalgic man in House of the Sleeping Beauties. He has compassion for these ‘losers’.

20 Is there something of the romantic in his personality? His music at any rate can have, in the noble sense of the term, a veristic aspect. He dares to speak of the things he experiences. If he feels sad, he writes Tränen (‘Tears’). You can’t imagine Boulez writing a piece on his joy or sadness. For Kris Defoort, as for many jazz musicians, it’s a per- fectly natural approach, but once the choice has been made, he takes great care to make sure that what he expresses both is and sounds true. It’s in that that I would call him a ‘verist’.

What is his relationship with singing in his operas? His vocal line naturally reflects the influence of English: English sounds facilitate a highly natu- ral expression to which he is greatly attached. His vocal lines of course at times make you think of blues but they also have other origins, the music of Britten for example. I especially think these influences are not explicit. These moments come naturally to his mind form the great musical storehouse he has built up throughout his experiences and encounters. Theatrically his operas are not operas of dialogue, they are operas of atmosphere. He works on climates in which the characters express themselves, often in monologues. The lonely woman in The Woman Who Walked into Doors speaks; the lonely man in House of the Sleeping Beauties dreams.

What is the role of his orchestra in opera? His orchestra truly ‘creates’ the drama; Kris Defoort has no equal for taking a theme and, imme- diately, giving it an atmosphere. He never composes – and this strikes me as fundamental – in accordance with pre-established plans. His musical language develops and invents itself as it unfolds throughout the work. His music is not easy to play but as it is very well written it gives the impres- sion it is not difficult. and especially, as with many great composers (Schumann, Debussy), you never feel his writing is in any way heavy. His music is rich, ambiguous, carnal and ‘free’. TRANSLATION: J EREMY DRAKE

21 Kris Defoort (°1959) Kris Defoort studied recorder and early music at the Royal Flemish Conservatory of Antwerp (Barthold Kuijken, Koen Dieltiens, Jos Van Immerseel, Balderick Deerenberg) and jazzpiano, composition and free improvisation at the Royal Conservatory of Liège (Dennis Luxion, Frederic Rzewski, Garrett List, Phi lippe Boesmans).

Between 1987 and 1990 Kris Defoort lived in New York. He followed masterclasses with Fred Hersh, David Berger and Paul Bley, but his main activity was as a jazz pianist. He performed with the Lionel Hampton Big Band (guest Dizzy Gillespie), Jack de Johnette, Adam Nussbaum, Reggie Workman, Mike Formanek, Barry Altschul, Vince Herring, Judy Niemack, Tito Puento, Lee Konitz, Hannibal Peterson, and many others.

After his return to (1991) he continued on his musical odyssey, as a composer, pianist and improvisor, and leader of the sextet KD’s Basement Party, his trio KD’s Decade, Octurn, Dreamtime and more recently Sound Plaza (with Mark Turner, Jim Black and Nicolas Thys). Partly thanks to the support of the arts centre De Werf (Bruges), lots of his projects were issued on cd. Kris Defoort also worked with performers and ensembles in the contemporary jazz scene (Jim Black, Mark Turner, Aka Moon, Vegetable Beauty, Garrett List, Paul Rodgers, etc.)

Since 1998 Kris Defoort is a resident composer at LOD (Ghent), a production house for con- temporary music theatre. Together with Fatou Traoré he created the dance piece Passages (2001) wich was performed at several leading European festivals (Festival d’Avignon, Salzburg, Charleroi Danse, etc.)

At the end of 2001 Kris Defoort was commissioned by LOD, Ro theater, deSingel, La Monnaie and others, to compose the opera The Woman Who Walked into Doors, based on Roddy Doyle’s book of the same name. This opera, directed by Guy Cassiers, toured impressively in Europe (Duisburg, Ruhrtriennale, Paris, Strasbourg, Brussels, Dublin, Zürich, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp…) and was received with great enthusiasm by both press and public.

22 In 2002 Kris Defoort created Conversations with the Past, a work for wind instruments, piano, harp, double bass and percussion, commissioned by the Filharmonie (Antwerp). In the same year he presented Sound Plaza, a new jazz cd with saxophonist Mark Turner, bass player Nic Thys and drummer Jim Black.

In 2003 he created his String quartet n°1 together with ConVerSations/ConSerVations, a proj- ect based on Renaissance music. Together with soprano Claron McFadden, Dreamtime and Quatuor Danel, Kris Defoort sought once again a synthesis between old and new, classical and jazz.

Since 2005 Kris Defoort has worked on various projects. As an artist in residence at the arts cen- tre BOZAR in the 2006-2007 season, every aspect of his musicianship has been shown: as an improvising pianist and a composer. For example, Jan Michiels created his piano cycle Dedica- tio (nine musical letters) in December 2006. Kris Defoort also has been commissioned by the 2007 Queen Elisabeth Competition to write the compulsory contest piece for solo piano.

On the 8th of May 2009 the worldpremiere of his second opera House of the Sleeping Beauties (pro- duction LOD, Toneelhuis, la Monnaie), directed by Guy Cassiers, took place at La Monnaie Brussels. Currently Kris Defoort is working on Brodsky Concerts, a piece based on the writ- ings by Joseph Brodsky, in which he will be on stage together with the actor Dirk Roofthooft. Meanwhile, Kris Defoort keeps performing as an improviser/pianist in different constellations.

Kris Defoort teaches composition/arrangement and free improvisation at the (Flemish) Brus- sels Royal Conservatory.

CONTACT KRIS DEFOORT: WWW.AUBERGINE-AM.COM MORE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE CAST ON HTTP://CARMEN.DEMUNT.BE MORE INFO ON THE STAGE PRODUCTION WWW.LOD.BE

23 Patrick Davin + Kris Defoort

Guy Cassiers + Marianne Van Kerkhoven

Barbara Hannigan + Dirk Roofthooft + Omar Ebrahim Dirk Roofthooft + Barbara Hannigan + Omar Ebrahim

Guy Cassiers + Katelijne Verbeke Guy Cassiers + Omar Ebrahim Barbara Hannigan + Kris Defoort + Guy Cassiers Introductie Na het succesvolle The Woman Who Walked into Doors (2001) realiseerden componist Kris Defoort en regisseur Guy Cassiers opnieuw samen een operaproject. Hun vertrekpunt was het boek House of the Sleeping Beauties (1961) van de Japanse auteur en Nobelprijswinnaar Yasu- nari Kawabata (1899-1972). Het boek vertelt de opeenvolgende bezoeken van de oude heer Eguchi aan een vreemd en teder bordeel waar oudere mannen de nacht kunnen doorbrengen en zich in bed kunnen aanvleien tegen de warme lichamen van door slaapmiddelen verdoofde, jonge meisjes: een verhaal over afscheid nemen, ouderdom en dood. Kris Defoort herwerkte deze monoloog tot een muzikale compositie met meerdere stemmen. Terwijl een koor van vier zangeressen (The Sleeping Beauties) vooral de lichamen van de sla- pende meisjes beschrijft, bezingt de sopraan (The Women) de bedenkingen en handelingen van de oude man. De rol van de oude man wordt vertolkt door een bariton (Old Man): hij geeft uiting aan zijn onmiddellijke gewaarwordingen bij het zien van de meisjes en aan de herinne- ringen die deze oproepen aan andere vrouwen uit zijn verleden. De slaapkamer wordt in die zin de ruimte van de zang, de ruimte van de lyriek. Vooraleer de oude man de deur van die kamer opendoet, voert hij echter daarbuiten bij elk bezoek een gesprek met de bordeelhoudster. Deze dialogen over alledaagse en concrete onder- werpen worden vertolkt door een actrice (Madam) en een acteur (Old Man). Binnen en bui- ten, gezongen en gesproken: twee werelden van weemoed, maar verschillend in kleur, in intensiteit, in emotionaliteit. MARIANNE VAN KERKHOVEN

27 Introduction Après le succès de The Woman Who Walked into Doors (2001), le compositeur Kris Defoort et le metteur en scène Guy Cassiers ont realisé ensemble un nouvel opéra. Le point de départ était le roman de l’auteur japonais prix Nobel de littérature Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) House of the Sleeping Beauties (1961). Le roman relate les visites du vieil Eguchi dans un tendre et étrange bordel, où des vieillards peuvent passer la nuit et se blottir contre les corps chauds de jeunes filles droguées par des somnifères. C’est une histoire sur l’adieu, la vieillesse et la mort. Kris Defoort a transformé ce monologue en une composition musicale avec plusieurs voix. Un chœur de quatre voix de femmes (The Sleeping Beauties) décrit les corps des jeunes filles endormies, une soprano (The Women) chante ce que fait et pense le vieil homme. Le rôle du vieil homme est chanté par un baryton (Old Man): il exprime ses impressions instantanées à la vue des jeunes filles et les souvenirs qu’elles évoquent des femmes de son passé. Ainsi, la chambre devient l’espace du chant, l’espace du lyrisme. À chacune des visites du vieil homme, avant qu’il ne pénètre dans la chambre, il entame une conversation avec la tenancière du bordel. Ces dialogues concrets sur des événements du quo- tidien sont interprétés par une actrice (Madam) et un acteur (Old Man). À l’ intérieur et l’ex- térieur, chanté et parlé: deux mondes mélancoliques, aussi différent en couleur, en intensité et en émotions. MARIANNE VAN KERKHOVEN - TRADUCTION EMILIE SYSSAU

28 Introduction After the success of The Women Who Walked into Doors (2001), the composer Kris Defoort and the producer Guy Cassiers have realised their second opera. Its starting point is the novel by the Japanese author and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) House of the Sleep- ing Beauties (1961). The novel tells the story of old Eguchi in a strange and tender brothel, where elderly men can spend the night and snuggle up against the warm bodies of very young girls drugged by sleeping pills. It is the story of farewell, old age and death. Kris Defoort transformed this monologue into a musical composition containing several voices. While a chorus of four female voices (The Sleeping Beauties) is describing the bodies of the young sleeping girls, a soprano (The Women) sings what the old man does and thinks. The role of the old man is sung by a baritone (Old Man): he expresses his first impressions of the young girls and how they evoke memories of women from his past. Thus, the bedroom becomes a space for the singing, a space for lyricism. Every time the old man visits the brothel, before entering the bedroom, he starts a conversa- tion with the madam. These down-to-earth dialogues on everyday events are performed by an actress (Madam) and an actor (Old Man). Inside and outside, sung and spoken: two melan- cholic worlds, quite different in colour, intensity and emotions. MARIANNE VAN KERKHOVEN - TRANSLATION ALISON MUTHAAN

29 libretto Madam Will you undress out here? CD I (The old man is silent.) Madam You can hear the waves. Also the wind… 1_ OUVERTURE Sleep well. THE FIRST NIGHT (The woman stands up, pours out the tea, unlocks the door to the adjoining room and leaves. The old man looks around. He takes the key the 2_ SCENE 1 woman has left him and examines it. The old man (There is no sign on the door; the secret nature of lights a cigarette with the same hand that holds this house forbids such a thing. Water boils in an the key. He takes a few puffs and extinguishes iron kettle on a kiri-wood stove. Piano music is the cigarette in an ashtray. But the second ciga- heard in the background. The lady of the house rette he smokes at his leisure. He opens the door. doesn’t look the old man in the eyes.) The piano music stops. The old man locks the door and while drawing the curtain he looks upon Madam the sleeping girl. He can hear by the sound of her Try not to wake the girl, please. Anyway, she is breathing that she is clearly deeply asleep. As if to unlikely to wake… She sleeps deeply. The sleep of apologize for touching her hand, his own hand the innocent. The girl sleeps on. She knows noth- begins to tremble. Still holding her hand, he gazes ing, not even with whom she sleeps… There’s no upon her, but he understands that she will not need for her to worry about any of that. She is so wake up. He forces himself to undress.) lovely. And all our guests are trustworthy. The older gentlemen all go to bed early and rise early in the morning. Everything is ready for you. Here is the 3_ SCENE 2 key; go to sleep when you’re ready.In case you Chorus have trouble sleeping, I’ve placed some sleeping A-ah. pills on the cushion. We are not able to offer you She is lying on her left side. any strong liquor.You know the rules. The girl in Her face turned towards him. the next room is fast asleep and waiting for you. The body remains invisible. Old Man Her neck and shoulders are very young. She is? The white skin looks soft.

30 The right hand alongside the sleeping face Soprano on the pillow. (still hidden, but closer) The fingertips lost to sleep. Yoshio, Yoshio… Yoshio. Cute dimples in her hand. Chorus Soprano The girl has long lank fragrant hair. (hidden, sounding from far away) (Although this is already satisfactory, the old man Yoshio. lifts the coverlet and peers under it. He takes the Chorus girl by the shoulders and shakes her. Then he lifts The warm blood glimmering under the skin is up her head. When the old man’s hand is support- pinker towards the fingertips. Her eyebrows are ing the girl’s head, she calmly turns her head, the not made up. The lashes lie long and close shoulder follows, and, now on her back, she con- together.The skin of the hand is so fine, you can tinues to sleep.) not see the tissue. Soprano He covers up her bare shoulder. He closes his eyes. Soprano Chorus (hidden, sounding from far away) A delicate line across her fresh slender neck. Yoshio. Soprano (Afraid of the girl, who most certainly will not Her breast softly in his hand. Her heartbeat gentle awaken, he crawls carefully under the coverlet. and regular. The girl appears to be completely naked.While Chorus the old man rests his head on the pillow, he lifts her The scent of her breath is stronger from her hair with both hands until both ears are showing. mouth than from her nose. He covers her naked shoulder and closes his eyes. The old man props himself up with his elbow on (Being careful not to touch the girl, he also lies the pillow, mumbling as he looks searchingly at on his back and closes his eyes.) the girl’s hand.) Soprano Chorus The scent of a baby comes to him.The milky Behind the ears, the skin beneath the hair is scent of a nursing baby, sweeter and richer than white.The little earlobe as pink as the finger, as the scent of the girl. He has not forgotten how he the fingertips.A-ah! had held his own daughters as nursing babies.

31 Was this milky smell of his own flesh and blood Soprano emerging to reproach him? Or was it the smell He drew his face back and gently licked it away. of his own heart that feels compassion for the Baritone sleeping girl? Or was it perhaps a melancholy With his lips, a man could draw blood from comfort for an old man to be sunk in memories almost any part of a woman’s body. of women from an irretrievable past? (The girl is in such ecstasy that she is blissfully (The old man takes her wrist and bends her arm. unaware of his action.) He feels her pulse by holding two fingers on the vein in her wrist.) Chorus A-ah! Baritone Small… and pink… blood… in trance… The Baritone nipple… blood around… in trance… A-ah! The The very first girl. areola… Small… and pink… blood around… A- That first time. ah… The nipple, around the nipple… no pain… Never has the beauty of her secret parts been love- in trance… lier. The purity of that place was the beauty of her Soprano heart. An old love came back to him. A passing specter? A reality whose flow was shared by desire. Baritone Soprano … in trance… A-ah… The blood… The sound of waves breaking against the high cliff Soprano is thundering in his ears. Probably, it had come through the opening left by Baritone a sudden emptiness in his heart. … purity… blood… the nipple… trance… No Baritone one in the world knows this incomparable beauty … around the nipple… trance… Her breast wet as I do.And with my death, not far away now, it with blood… will quite disappear from this world. Soprano Soprano In his memory, he withdrew his face and saw that The echo of the waves seems to come up from her breast was lightly stained with blood. the ocean as music sounding in the girl’s body. Baritone … in trance… no pain… A-ah… 32 Baritone (The old man rises up on one elbow and as he I hear music in the girl’s body. The thought of a slides out of bed, he softly strokes the girl’s hair.) cold sense of guilt suddenly turns away in another What a sweet child! direction. Madam Soprano Certainly. Did you have sweet dreams? In time with the music, a pure white butterfly flutters past his closed eyes. Old Man She was the source of all my dreams. Baritone I seem to feel music in the girl’s body. It is a music Madam filled with love. The wind and the waves are calm this morning; it appears it will be a spring-like day. Chorus A-ah! 5_ PRELUDE SECOND NIGHT 4_ SCENE 3 (Madam knocks at the door.) THE SECOND NIGHT Madam SCENE 1 It’s eight o’clock. (Only when the old man has passed through the Old Man door of the House of the Sleeping Beauties, does The sleeping pills seem to have worked. he notice that the misty rain has turned into wet Madam snow. Water boils in an iron kettle on a kiri-wood Are you awake? Your breakfast is ready… stove. Piano music is heard in the background. Madam doesn’t look the old man in the eyes.) Old Man I’m awake. 6_ Madam Be careful. Madam Aren’t you pleased I’ve brought your breakfast? (With one hand she holds an umbrella over the old man’s head; with the other she grabs his hand.) Old Man Yes.

33 Old Man Madam I don’t need any help. I’m not so old I need to be I imagine you’ve broken many women’s hearts taken by the hand. in your time. Madam Old Man It’s only that the cobblestones are wet. Whatever makes you think that? Old Man Madam Do decrepit old men come here? Those who’ve Your defensiveness is awfully suspicious. lost control of their limbs and must be taken Old Man by the hand? If what you say is true, why would I come to a Madam house like this? Aren’t all the old men who come I’m not allowed to say anything about the other here possessed by a helpless desire for women? guests. Old men who are past their prime, for whom it is no longer possible to turn back the clock, Old Man whatever they might do, however much they But now that winter is on its way, it can be may regret? dangerous for such old men. What would happen if some of them had a heart attack or a stroke? Madam Well, what can I say? Madam It would be the end of this house. But for the guest Old Man himself, perhaps it might be a most blissful death. Tell me, what are the old men allowed to do? What are the restrictions? Old Man But you wouldn’t get off scot-free. Madam They are allowed to lie next to sleeping girls. Madam Perhaps not. You’ve turned up so suddenly again. Old Man Did the previous girl displease you? Can’t we have the same sleeping pills as the girls? (Deftly, she pours her best tea.) Madam The sleeping pills are only for the girls. It’s already Old Man cold. I’ve laid an electric blanket on the bed. In fact, she pleased me all too well. Truly! A double blanket with a switch on both sides so (A sarcastic smile hovers on the woman’s lips.) that the guests can adjust the warmth to suit their needs. 34 Old Man Madam I have never used an electric blanket. It is for the girls’ well-being that you and the other men must sleep with different girls. Madam You don’t object to having a different girl, do you? If you don’t like it, you can turn it off on your side, but if it’s not switched on where the girls Old Man are lying… No. I’m not much of a womanizer anyway. (The old man nods.) Madam Surely you don’t do anything to her? None of Old Man our guests does anything to the girls. If that rule A nice invention, isn’t it? Two people under is broken only once, then this house would be the same blanket, each adjusting the warmth as nothing but an ordinary brothel. Then the pitiful he pleases. desiresand transporting dreams of the old men Madam will disappear forever. It’s American… but – listen, you mustn’t turn off Old Man the blanket on the girls’ side! You must understand However guilty I may be, I have never in my life that she will not wake up, no matter how cold spent such a night of pure bliss with a woman. she gets. A childish feeling swept over me that the girl found me sweet. Old Man Yes…I Know…. Madam She sleeps and she knows not with whom she Madam sleeps. Even if you believe you’ve had relations Tonight’s girl has less experience than the last one. with her. She has no idea who her partner is. Old Man And another thing, speaking of ‘relations’… Does she? Old Man Madam Yes, yes. Real human contact isn’t a part of it, is it? But she is still a very beautiful girl. Because Madam nothing bad happens to them. What do you mean? Old Man A different girl?

35 Old Man tea with pleasure. He would like to feel calm, but What’s the point in calling it ‘human contact’, this the teacup trembles in his hand. He enters coming together of sleeping girls and old men the room. The piano music stops.) that are no longer men? Madam 7_ SCENE 2 Isn’t it true that the silent sleeping girls speak Chorus to the old men in a way they find delightful? The little girl has a tiny face. Old Man Old Man Tell me, what is the very worst thing the old men I’m certainly not a trustworthy guest. could do? Chorus Madam Her hair draped across one cheek. Nothing bad happens in this house. Old Man Old Man In this house, where old men are insulted and Nothing bad? humiliated, I could easily overstep the rules. Madam Chorus Have you been drinking tonight? You say such The back of her hand lies across her other cheek. strange things. Old Man Old Man Are you awake? The force of habit makes even the most inhumane world seem normal. Chorus The girl rests the tip of her fingers on the edge Madam of the bed.A sleeping child-like, little girl. Well, go on now. Sleep well. A young sleeping siren. (Outside the falling wet snow is barely audible. Old Man The sound of the sea seems to recede. Before him I still possess so much masculine stubbornness that the old man sees the vast dark sea. The wet snow I can get her to wake up. falls into it and melts away. The woman stands up, opens the door to the next room, and sets the key Chorus down for the old man. Left alone, the old man The eyebrows are free of paint. Her eyelashes pours hot water into the tea kettle, he gulps his lie in a row.

36 Old Man Chorus In this, my sixty-seventh year, how deeply have Her throat is so white it reflects the color of I penetrated the depths of my sexual desire? the red velvet curtains. Chorus Old Man The nails are polished pale pink. Can you hear me? I won’t hurt you. Old Man (He wipes his finger on her bangs. While still And all around the old men, a continuous stream holding her hair between his thumb and forefin- of young women’s bodies, a continuous stream ger, the old man sticks his whole hand into her of beautiful girls is born. hair. His fingers roam freely and with abandon.) Chorus Chorus Her lower lip is slightly thicker in the middle. Saliva from her mouth wets her lips. Old Man Old Man Aren’t their endless dreams and desires, all tied up She lives even in her sleep. Her body awakens in the sins of this secret house? to womanhood, even while her spirit slumbers. Chorus (She feels the hand of the old man, the one that Her tongue is curled up inside her mouth. strokes her hair. She seeks him with her arms. He A sweet hollow place is in the middle of that very places his hand around one of her knees and draws delicate tongue. her to him. She wraps her arms around him.) Old Man Chorus (Softly he lies next to her. As if she’s been waiting Her four painted nails lie next to each other on for him and wishes to embrace him, the girl the white pillowcase. willingly turns, pulls her hands from under (The old man presses her tightly against him, the blanket and reaches out toward him.) as if he wishes to wake her from her dream. Hey, are you awake? She is lying so close to him that her breasts are nearly flattened against his body. He feels her toes (The old man tries to stick his finger in her with his foot.) mouth.There is a red spot on the man’s finger when he withdraws it.) Old Man No longer a human spirit, merely the body of a woman. Even in her sleep, she seems to speak the language of love with her toes. 37 Chorus Chorus He shakes the girl’s head with his hand.The old Then, unexpectedly, he comes up against what man lays his cheek against the back of her hand. clearly is a sign of the girl’s virginity. He pulls the blanket over her shoulders and places Old Man his hand gently on the curve of her flesh. His lips Are you awake? Are you awake? move from her hand along her arm.The girl’s skin cleaves to him. Chorus He gasps and his heart starts to pound. (He shakes the girl’s head with his hand. The girl seems to frown with pain. She makes a quarter Old Man turn towards him and lies closer against the old Uhh! What’s this? man. Her left hand lies almost under the old Soprano man’s eyes. The old man lays his cheek against the He closes his eyes. Softly, he strokes the girl’s hair back of her hand. The weight of his head shocks and opens his eyes again. He caresses her back till the girl all the way to her shoulder. The old man he reaches the hollow at the base of her spine. lies in this position for a while. She holds both arms above her head, her shoulders are raised up Baritone and a tender swell is visible where the arm starts. Is this stiffness of her body due to her virginity? He pulls the blanket over her shoulders and places Soprano his hand gently on the curve of her flesh. His lips That the old men have preserved the girl’s move from her hand along her arm. The fragrance virginity says more about the hopeless ruin of from her shoulder and throat overwhelm him. their bodies than about their own self-respect. A shiver creeps along her shoulder to the tendons, but disappears, and the girl’s skin cleaves Baritone to the old man.) What for despair will I bring to her tomorrow if I deflower her now? Which direction will life Old Man take her? Have you been awake all this time? Are you awake? (The girl’s shoulders tremble and she turns to lie (Roughly, he goes to work, because he would on her stomach. Only the arm that is draped rather the girl was awake.) across his face appears to search nervously for a Are you awake? place to rest. With both hands, he places her arm over his eyes.)

38 Soprano Baritone Something buzzes sweetly in the great camellia Eternal sleep. hedge. Perhaps it’s a swarm of bees. Sleep forever. (A cluster of camellia blossoms falls to the ground ——— like wine goblets.) (Dialogue from the past. A hotel room, three years Baritone ago. He is 64, the woman between 24-28.) How little a girl’s body is capable of resisting Soprano the sudden fiery passion of a man. Oh, I have slept the sleep of the dead. Truly a Soprano fatally deep slumber. I have to go. Camellias in five colors, the ones he saw long ago Baritone with his youngest daughter. Already? Why? Baritone Soprano My youngest daughter, pregnant… Her skin The children. glowed like the morning dew, as if she were being washed clean from the inside out. She was as ripe Baritone as a bud about to flower. Children? How many? Soprano Soprano A vision of a double camellia in full bloom arose Two little girls. Do you love me just a little? in his mind.The enchanted melody of life and Baritone life’s renewal. Why do you give your young body so willingly Baritone to me, without reservation, without mistrust? Are there men who cherish the secret desire to Soprano sleep forever beside a sleeping beauty such as this? Do you love me just a little? Just a little bit… (The old man shifts toward her carefully. Baritone She doesn’t move.) Naturally, the question on every woman’s lips. Soprano Shouldn’t you ask me why I love you just a little? A young girl’s body is capable of seducing an old Soprano man to his death. Alright, alright. I won’t ask anything anymore. And yet… 39 (End of the dialogue from the past.) Beauties that he has seen the tongue of one of the girls. A desire to do something much more ——— terrible than put his finger in her mouth and Soprano touch her tongue inflames the old man.) Was this his very last time with such a young You just won’t wake up. woman? Two unforgettable nights, forever You just won’t wake up. a secret, and no scars left behind. Baritone (He carefully brushes away the long hair from Probably, it would be a simple matter to press her right cheek.) a hand over her nose and mouth till she suffocates. Old Man (The old man puts his arms around the girl.) It would be a good thing for me to confess all my sins and failures. Old Man You just won’t wake up. Soprano You just don’t wake up. He softly strokes the little girl’s eyelashes with his finger. (He holds her against his body even more tightly.) Baritone Hey! Her tongue is curled up inside her mouth. Baritone A sweet hollow place is in the middle of that very A woman’s body… delicate tongue. Old Man Old Man Are you awake? Are you awake? Baritone (He looks in the girl’s open mouth.) …can seduce a man… Baritone Old Man Would that sweet tongue move if I were to You just won’t wake up. squeeze her throat? Baritone Old Man …to enter the realm of the devil… Hey, are you awake? Soprano (Temptation grows strongly in the old man. Countless golden arrows fly past. Attached to It is the first time in the House of the Sleeping the points… 40 Old Man crying turns to laughter. The laughter goes on for Wake up!You just won’t wake up. a long time. The old man puts his arm around the girl and shakes her. An uneasy silence falls.) Soprano … are dark purple hyacinths… 8_ SCENE 3 Baritone The girl… Madam Are you awake? Soprano …with multi-colored orchids… (Silence) Baritone (Still giving no answer, the old man hides his … stark naked… head under the blanket. The girl’s nipple touches his chin. Suddenly he is inflamed with desire. Soprano He presses the girl against him and wraps his legs … on the shafts… around her.) Baritone Madam … with no possibility…. Sir, Sir! Soprano Old Man White butterflies… Yes, I’m already awake. I’ll go and get dressed. Baritone Madam … of waking up… How was it? A delicious child, no? Soprano Old Man … white flowers… Delightful… What time will she wake up? Baritone Madam … is there for pathetic old men. Mm, whatever time that may be… Old men seize their naked beauties. Old men Old Man shed their cold tears. Old men submit to their May I stay here till she wakes? grief and cry out… Madam (The girl’s wild, drawn out, heavy sobs wake I’m afraid that won’t be possible. We don’t allow the old man with a start. What appears to be that, not even for our best clients. 41 Old Man Old Man But she’s such a delightful child, isn’t she? Yes, thank you. Madam (The woman looks at the floor and her face Isn’t it better to have your way with a sleeping tightens.) girl and forget about all those useless feelings Old Man of intimacy? The girl has no idea she’s slept with Did you not hear me calling last night? I wanted a man; therefore no difficulties can arise from to have the same sleeping pills as the girl. your meeting. I wanted to sleep as she was sleeping. Old Man Madam But I will always remember her. Let’s say I happen That’s not possible. Besides, it’s dangerous for to run into her on the street…and… old men. Madam Old Man And you would talk to her? Please don’t do that. My heart is fine, there’s no need to worry in that How could you place such a burden on her regard. But if I were to close my eyes forever, shoulders? I would have no regrets. Old Man Madam Burden…? You’ve been here only twice, yet already you want Madam to have things your way? Yes, indeed. Old Man Old Man Besides, I have a request, after breakfast – I don’t Did you say burden? know when the girl will wake up – could you give me a couple of those sleeping pills? Naturally Madam I would pay for them. Stop being so stubborn and accept that you can adore the sleeping girl only while she sleeps. Madam That won’t happen. Old Man Mm. (The sea is visible through the window.) Madam Your breakfast has been ready for quite some time. 42 CD II Madam What do you mean? There isn’t a draft.

1_ PRELUDE THIRD NIGHT Old Man Could there be a spirit of the dead in this room?

THE THIRD NIGHT Madam … SCENE 1 Old Man (The new year came, the wild sea was of dead May I have another cup of tea? The water must winter. On land there was little wind. Water boils be good and hot.The hotter the better. in an iron kettle on a kiri-wood stove. Piano (The woman does as he asks.) music is heard in the background. Madam doesn’t look theold man in the eyes.) Madam Have you heard something? 2_ Madam And on such a cold night… Old Man I might have, yes. Old Man I came precisely because of the cold. Would it not Madam be the greatest pleasure for an old man to die on Yes? And still you came? So you took the trouble to such a cold night while lying warm beside a come here, but now wouldn’t you prefer to leave? young woman’s body? Old Man Madam I came precisely because I knew. Isn’t that Isn’t that a terrible thing to say? wonderful? Old Man (The woman laughs abruptly.) Old men are neighbours of the dead. Old Man (The woman pours tea.) Such things happen. And winter is a dangerous time for old men… Would it not be better Old Man to close the house during the winter? There seems to be a draft in here. Madam …

43 Old Man Madam I don’t know what type of old men come here, Then you’d have an investigation into the cause but if two or three were to die, you wouldn’t be of death and all sorts of difficult questions; and able to shrug it off. because the room would look a little strange, there might be unpleasant consequences for our Madam regular guests. Not to mention for the girls. Tell that to my boss. What’s it to do with me? Old Man Old Man So, the girl continues to sleep without knowing You are indeed involved in this affair. Wasn’t the the old man next to her is dead? Even a short body of the old man taken to the guesthouse here struggle with death still wouldn’t wake her? in the neighbourhood? Secretly,in the middle of the night…? Naturally, you had a hand in that. Madam No, but… If an old man dies here, the girl must Madam be taken away and hidden. And then it’s still That was only to spare the old man’s reputation. possible to discover that a woman was sleeping Old Man beside him. Reputation? Does a dead man still have a name Old Man to uphold? Or has it more to do with what the What? You also take the girl away? people would say. Probably more for the sake of the family than for the sake of the dead man Madam himself. However annoying that might be… Yes, otherwise it looks like a crime took place. Are the house and the guesthouse owned by Old Man the same man? Do I know the girl who was with him that night? Madam Madam … I’m not permitted to tell you. Old Man Old Man I can’t imagine the newspapers would go so far as … to say that an old man died here while lying next to a naked girl. If I were the old man, I would be Madam very happy not to be taken away and be allowed Due to the deep red welts on her neck and chest, to stay here peacefully next to the girl. I’ve given her time off until she’s healed.

44 Old Man Old Man May I have another cup of tea? I’m thirsty. Still, for an old men, there is always something sinister about a girl being so young. Madam Of course. I’ll fill the pot with fresh tea. Madam How can you say that… Old Man If such things happen, you can’t expect this house (With a vague smile, the woman stands, walks to stay in business for a very long time. Don’t you to the connecting room and opens the door with believe that… even if you do keep it a secret? a crack.) Madam She’s fast a sleep, and waiting for you… Here you You think so? have the key… Old Man (Piano music stops, she leaves the room.) And the girl knows nothing? Madam 3_ SCENE 2 No. Something like that wouldn’t have woken her. Baritone Old Man A lovely sight. So, such things still exist in life. Something like…? What do you mean? The girl Chorus also didn’t know that the body of the old man This girl lies facing away from him. Stark naked, was taken away? on her back, her arms relaxed, legs spread wide. Madam She appears to be tall, with thick, coppery hair, No…no… the skin white from her fleshy ear to her chubby neck. The nipples large and purple. Her skin Old Man smells faintly of sweat. Long fingers, long nails. That must be a very sinister girl. (Seated, the old man plays with the girls long Madam fingernails. He takes a handkerchief from his There’s nothing sinister about her! You would pocket and wipes off the sweat.A persistent odor be better off not talking so much, go quickly clings to the handkerchief. He wipes the sweat to the room next door. Have you ever found from under her arms. He can no longer take the the sleeping girls to be sinister? handkerchief back home with him so he crumples it up and throws it into a corner of the room.)

45 Baritone Baritone That skin. Those lips. (as a young man) Chorus No? So… You don’t want it?You have already Her body is tense, the skin so smooth you’d like done it! to stroke it with your tongue.A-ah. Soprano Baritone No, no, no! I did not! A-ah! Those lips. That skin. What is her voice like, No… Don’t… No, no, no, don’t kiss me. how does she talk? How can I get her to speak in I don’t want you to. No, don’t… I don’t want it! her sleep? Baritone Chorus No? So… You don’t want it?You didn’t do it? She has painted her lips. Then, what is this? (The old man retrieves the discarded handkerchief (The old man wipes his lips and shows her and wipes the red lipstick from her lips.) the faint red stains on his handkerchief. The girl Baritone takes the handkerchief and gazes at it for a long Did she once have a harelip? time. Without saying a word, she stuffs it into her handbag.) Chorus The warmth does not penetrate the old man’s Soprano body, but settles around him like a veil. I didn’t do it! ——— (End of the dialogue from the past.) (Suddenly the old man remembers a kiss from ——— forty years ago.A dialogue from the past.) Baritone Soprano That beautiful arched upper lip. Could it be that she still lives, now more than forty years later? (as a young woman) (With the tip of his pinkie, he gently strokes No, no, no, no, don’t kiss me! the middle of her upperlip. Her lips are dry. No, don’t. Her skin feels swollen. Then the girl begins to lick No, no, no, no, don’t kiss me! her lips and doesn’t stop until they are moist. I don’t want you to. No, don’t… The old man removes his pinkie.) I don’t want it! 46 That lips like these exist. Could this child give Soprano kisses in her sleep? (from far away) (But the old man only softly caresses the hair Yoshio. by her ear.) Chorus Soprano A-ah! This too, the old man has lost: the desire to take such a girl by force. He sleeps with women who (The girl throws off the coverlet, or rather surrender willingly, tenderly,passionately. He beds the electric blanket under it. One leg stretches out them out of a desire for intimacy. from under the blanket and touches the floor. The old man can not resist sliding his arm under Baritone her lovely, beautiful, slender neck and drawing her Is she the ultimate plaything or a victim? Raping towards him in an embrace.) this girl, defying the rules of the house, destroying the secret dirty desires of the old men… The naked girl turns towards him kindly, In so doing I would bid farewell. The body of willingly.A hand touches his hip. the sleeping girl will not resist. How easy it would (Playing with the girl’s finger, he shuts his eyes.) be to strangle her. Is she so far gone that these sad old men mean nothing to her? Would my Baritone own touch leave her cold? A woman knows no bounds. It’s growing, hot behind my eyes. (The old man rises up on one elbow and brings his face close to the girl’s. She breathes heavily. Chorus The old man sinks back down again. He doesn’t These lovely fingers are so fine, So very fine, you even kiss her.) can bend them to your will. Soprano (The old man yearns to put them in his mouth.) The waves crashing nearby sound as if they come Baritone from far away.The wind dies down above the earth, I wish to leave something of myself behind. like the shadowy floor of a black nocturnal sea. (The old man cups her breasts in his hands.) The girl, who had been lying with her back to him, now turns to face him. ) Chorus Her breasts are full, round and firm. Even her hips are round and firm.

47 Soprano Baritone Do her full white breasts call to mind a field of She knows nothing of love, shame, or fear. white butterflies? She would not even know the man who stole her innocence. Chorus Yoshio. Soprano Yoshio. (The old man gazes from her breasts to her belly. He lays his ear on her chest.) (The old man lies on his back, each of his arms draped around the neck of a girl. One, a willing, Baritone soft, fragrant neck; the other hard and sweaty.) Even her heartbeat echoes in my ear, surprisingly soft and sweet.And if I were to strangle her now? Baritone The neck so fragile even I could do it. How Except for the girl, no one would know that the would her body smell if I were to strangle her? rules of this house had been violated, and she would say nothing. (The old man wipes his cheek with his handker- chief, the cheek he laid against her breast to listen (He stares at the dark red curtains that hang to the to her heart.) left and right of where he lies.) Soprano and Chorus Chorus Still! Be still! The skin of the tall willing girl clings to him. Her naked body presses against his back. (The old man places his hand on his own heart.) Baritone Baritone Even the most inhumane world becomes human Shall I seize my chance? The very last woman in by the force of habit. my life… Soprano (The old man allows his hand to drift to her lower Yoshio… regions. There,too, it feels just like her breasts.) Baritone Soprano Is this house not a splendid place to die? Is it not Still! Be still! Listen to the wintery seas. Be still! the desire of every broken old man to die in his Don’t move! sleep beside a young naked woman? Death comes but once. How often does love arrive?

48 Chorus Baritone Yoshio. Yoshio. (as a young married man) Baritone Mother, what are you doing with those flowers? Death is for old men; love is for the young. Soprano and Chorus Soprano Aren’t they lovely? Yoshio. Baritone (One hand rests on the innocent breasts of the … girl. Tears well up in his eyes.) Soprano and Chorus Baritone Come…come…come…inside. The red curtains on the wall of the secret cham- ber are the color of blood. (End dialogue from the past.) Soprano Baritone Yoshio. Mother, my first wife! Why now, at this moment, in this place, that thought? A stream of blood Baritone gushed from Mother’s nose. On a winter night. A blood red color that will not fade. Then her breathing stopped. ——— Soprano (Dialogue from the past.) When the old man stroked his mother’s body in her dying hour, he touched her sagging breasts. Soprano and Chorus But he did not think of them as breasts. (mother) Even now, he can not remember them as breasts. What he remembers are the breasts of a young Yoshio! Yoshio! mother and how, as a child, he pressed against (He finds the house buried under swaying red them while he slept. dahlia-like flowers.) (As the old man stares at a particularly large Soprano and Chorus flower, a red drop falls from the petals.) Look who’s here. Welcome home! You had a nice honeymoon? Why are you holding back? Is your young bride shy?

49 4_ SCENE 3 yourself too much and just go to sleep. Isn’t there another girl? Old Man (He turns toward the tall, wild girl. Her body is Old Man cold. The old man is frightened. She’s not breathing.) Do you think I can sleep after this? I’d better be going. Old Man The girl is dead… 5_ Madam I would advise against that. If you leave now, Madam you’ll expose yourself to suspicion. Dead? Impossible… Old Man Old Man I can’t sleep after this. No, really, she is dead. She’s no longer breathing. She has no pulse. Madam I’ll bring you some more sleeping pills. And (The woman kneels by the dark girl’s pillow.) tomorrow morning sleep as long as you wish. Madam Old Man … have you done something to her? And? Old Man (The smooth, lovely naked body of the tall girl No, not a thing. is lying there. The old man looks at her for a long Madam time.) She’s not dead. There’s no need to worry. Old Man EPILOGUE She’s dead. Quick, call a doctor. Madam Don’t get so upset. This won’t cause you any unpleasantness. Your name will stay out of it… Old Man Can’t you see she’s dead? Madam Not at all. She’s not going to die. Don’t worry

50 Els Mondelaers + Susanne Duwe + Susanne Hawkins + Alice Foccroulle FUG708