At the end of his life, Abel searches for a definitive answer to a profound event from his youth—an event that forced him to grow up too soon. Against the backdrop of 16th-century Portugal, a world of religious oppression where Jews secretly practiced their culture and faith, Abel dives into his memories. In search of redemption.
In a dynamic interplay of storytelling, classical music, Portuguese folk music, choral singing, and shadow play, this ensemble explores the question: how do you make peace with the ghosts of the past? Based on the story O Alma-Grande by Miguel Torga (1907-1995), the opera Alma Grande (‘Great Soul’) presents a grim yet sensitive tale that resonates in a time of increasing xenophobia and its traumatic consequences.
composition and musical direction | Nuno Lobo direction | Stijn Dijkema scenography | Tamara Schneider dramaturgy | Sean Hauser production | Glynnis Bergen, Salomé Richter lighting design | Bo Kwakernaak text | Miguel Torga translation | Joris Alberdingk Thijm narrator | Lukas Dijkema soprano | Elina Charalambous bass | Michiel Nonhebel | son | Teun van Campen piccolo | Anna Kuiper accordion | Lieke op ’t Roodt cello | Julia Barahal bass drum | Leonardo Carvalho choir | Fontys Conservatory Tilburg Chamber Choir
