Sestine by Monteverdi, Ab (2004/2004), Unter der Regie von Wouter Van Looy, Dirigat Jan Van Outryve, Capitol Theater Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Deutschland

“Incinerated remains, greedy tomb, Made from my beauteous sun and earthly heaven.“ With these words Claudio Monteverdi opens Sestina . The poet Scipione Agnelli wrote a text in memory of the late singer Catarina Martinelli. The six-part musical poem tells of a man's tears before the grave of his beloved. Monteverdi, who had recently lost his wife and his favorite soprano Martinelli, chose this poignant poem as the basis for his madrigal Sestina. For this production, artists from various disciplines translate the moving power of this composition, together with Francesco Petrarca's poem Triumph of Death and other works by Monteverdi, into a contemporary setting. Sestina explores the possibilities of a spatial installation with video images, a soundscape and a live sung concert with music by Monteverdi. Against the background of the video images and soundscape, five young singers, supported by a lute and a gamba, talk about death and love.