Alain Platel . Fabrizio Cassol . Les Ballets C de la B

Why precisely did Alain Platel choose Monteverdi's Vespers of the Virgin Mary? The story begins in a church in Ghent. Platel was sixteen years old and attending a performance of the Vespers. It was so hot that the instruments kept going out of tune. It is now 2006. Remembering the shrill sounds of the violins, Platel makes an association with gypsy and improvised music. He asks the Aka Moon-saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol to make an adaptation of the sacred music of Monteverdi in association with Wim Becu and Tcha Limberger. The result is a mixture of wind instruments, beat and singing taken from various cultures. The ten dancers, all of whom are excellent body artists with an extraordinary flexibility, are also from a wide variety of backgrounds. Together with Platel they sought out modern expressions of religious ecstasy. Nor did they shy away from the fine line that divides mysticism from insanity. In the Dr. Guislain Museum in Ghent they watched films dating back to around 1900 recording the movements of psychiatric patients. Surprisingly they reveal a deep devotion. Platel has used baroque music before and contrasted the wonderful composition of this music with worldly stories of identity and diversity. In this creation, however, there is no direct clash between heaven and hell. On the contrary, 'vsprs' transports you to a road paved with passion, entrancement and introspection.