She marked the literary world of the 20th century. His life, divided between amorous passion and the demands of creation, inspired the authors Hélène Dorion and the late Marie-Claire Blais, who wrote the libretto of the opera with four hands. Yourcenar – An island of passionspremiered this summer.
“Marie-Claire Blais and I were longtime friends, and when I told her about my project, she immediately wanted to be part of it. »
A major figure in Quebec poetry and literature and passionate about opera, Hélène Dorion has published some thirty novels, essays and collections of poetry that have won numerous prestigious awards. We joined her in Paris during a tour for her new novel, Not even the noise of a river, so that she lifts the veil on this new creation, which pays homage to the career and work of the great novelist. Maintenance.
Why Marguerite Yourcenar?
“The narration, the reflection, the style and the poetic dimension of her work as a writer appeal to me. Very contemporary, his singular work crosses time. Fascinating, avant-garde, Marguerite Yourcenar is a passionate woman eager for discovery, who has devoted her life to writing. She was also an activist who fought against social and racial injustice, an environmentalist before her time, a pacifist too, since she opposed the war in Vietnam. There were conflicting forces about her, dualities between the past and the present, the intimate, the political and the famous, and she had an adventurous attitude in her personal life and her romantic relationships. His artistic commitment was total. We had beautiful contrasts to explore, interesting tensions on which to structure our libretto. »
How did the writing with Marie-Claire Blais come together?
“Our forces came together to create the scenes, the characters and the affects. The main challenge was to keep a fluidity and a very great simplicity in the writing, while deepening a very rich and very dense content. At the same time, we had to leave the windows open for the other designers who were going to contribute to the project, starting with Éric Champagne in the composition. Without forgetting the direction, the costumes, the decorations, the interpretation. The rhythm, too, was very important, like the sounds, so that it could be carried by the music, by the voices. »
What passages from the life of Marguerite Yourcenar caught your attention?
“We shared the readings and we retained certain key moments: the meeting with his life partner Grace Frick, his choice to live in the United States, the development of his work, Grace’s death, his election as as the first woman at the Académie française and her meeting with Jerry Wilson, who was her ultimate traveling companion. These are the elements from which we started writing the synopsis. »
What stage experience are spectators invited to?
“Angela Konrad, who directs the opera, is also a playwright, so her understanding of the libretto and the texts is really deep. We can expect the stage to become a symbolic space where all the antagonistic forces of the libretto will coexist. Angela works in evocation, in nuance. The stage will become a crossroads where the affects of the characters, the creative tensions, the complexity of the love bond, as well as the passion for living and creating will be expressed. »
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