GUEST BLOG by JORINDE KEESMAAT

L’enfant et les sortilèges @ BOZAR Brussels

In December just before Christmas almost 4000 tickets are sold for our production of Maurice Ravel’s masterpiece L’enfant et les sortilèges. In my physical direction we are witnesses of Bel Gazou (the daughter of Colette) who wants to break free of the restrictions of parental authority and is overtaken by the hunger for the unknown world and freedom. L'enfant et les sortilèges is an investigation into the wondrous world of a child - a journey to the imagination and finally an emotional journey to adulthood. A journey that started with a whirlwind of unthinking actions (Bel Gazou was destroying her own drawings) ending in a metamorphosis and insights in which the harsh reality becomes tangible.

We created this production with a wonderful group of young singers from all over the world, with an amazing boys chorus who could sing but also act and the Belgian National Orchestra. Sometimes there is an atmosphere in which everyone rises above himself.

The rich lyrical fantasy of Maurice Ravel, the intimate dimension of Colette's libretto and all the involved artists are a wonderful example of a true gesamt artwork.

Jorinde Keesmaat, Stage Director