Jan-Peter de Graaff | Composer
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      • All Rise! [2016]
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BONSAI GARDEN (2020)


​STAGING: KENZA KOUTCHOUKALI
EDITING: ZOEY VAN DER HEIJDEN
SOUND: HANS ERBLICH
PRODUCTION: STICHTING LEONORE & OPERA ZUID

​During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Jan-Peter de Graaff (composer) and Kenza Koutchoukali (stage director) started the initiative to create eight online miniature operas that shed light on the life behind the closed doors of the imposed 'lockdown' during the height of the first wave of the coronavirus in Europe. Within eight weeks time (and with two weeks of preparation) eight brand-new opera's were written, composed, rehearsed, performed and filmed within solitary circumstances for everyone involved. All opera's have one thing in common: the viewer is directly communicating with the characters on 'the other side'. Sometimes the portrayed character is aware of the fact that the camera has been switched on and there is a connection; sometimes the character isn't aware and the viewer get's an intimate perspective on the life behind closed doors.

MORE INFO

Picture

1. Hands-free
​A woman prepares for her date, while having an intimate dialogue with her voice-assistant.

Amanda: Vera Fiselier
Piano: Ruud Zielhorst

Libretto: Vera Fiselier


2. Citronnier
​A woman fantasises about a mysterious lemon tree appearing in her back yard...

Soprano: Eleanor Penfold
Harp: Annemieke Breunesse

Libretto: Kenza Koutchoukali

3. Immortal
Facing immediate hospitalisation, a man doesn't want to confront his own mortality...

Baritone & Flugelhorn: Huub Claessens
Libretto: Jan-Peter de Graaff

4. Sojourn
Plagued by her OCD, a woman fights her own battle while the world around her slowly collapses.

Soprano: Elisabeth Hetherington
Cello: Maya Fridman
​Libretto: Eleanor Barlow

5. Fuori i Fuochi
A vlog featuring a woman remembering her conversation with her drug dealer before she takes a hit.

Soprano: Ginette Puylaert
Prepared piano: Tim Sabel
​Libretto: Rick van Veldhuizen

6. Sesquipedalia
A press conference or a news read, a conspiracy theory or a troll, filmed from home. All the lines blur.

Tenor, Instruments: Georgi Sztojanov
Double Bass: Julian Sarmiento
​Percussion: Lotje Dalmijn
Libretto: Eleanor Barlow

7. Zoom
A women is reading back and remembering the last conversation she had with her father, who bought a little dog: Zoom.

Soprano: Jannelieke Schmidt
Accordion: Wilco Oomkes
Libretto: Bas van Putten

8. From a distance
A message filmed from home, to whom it may concern.

Mezzo-Soprano: Eva Kroon
Bass Clarinet: Vincent Martig
​Libretto: Yuri Robbers & Jan-Peter de Graaff
Copyrights: Jan-Peter de Graaff, 2022, all rights reserved. 
  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • Biography
    • Time Line
    • Discography
  • WORKS
    • Music Theatre >
      • All Rise! [2016]
      • De Grens [2018]
      • De Synode [2019]
      • Bonsai Garden [2020]
      • Parallax [2021]
      • Het Gouden Kalf [2022]
    • Orchestral (30 and more musicians)
    • Ensemble (10 - 30 musicians)
    • Chamber (2 - 10 musicians)
    • Solo
    • Arrangements and Transcriptions
  • CONCERTS
    • Upcoming
    • Previous
  • To be Composed
  • Video
  • MEDIA
    • Reviews
    • Interviews
    • Podcasts
    • Press kit
  • Contact