In collaboration with A.D.A. In collaboration with A.D.A. 23.5.2020

At the onset of the Coronavirus emergency, Warszawska Opera Kameralna has commissioned Polish and foreign artists for a series of short films inspired by different operatic titles, published online in the 'Opera OK series!’: Deda Cristina Colonna directed 'Castor et Pollux', a making-of of production interrupted due to the health emergency.

Il 23 maggio 2020 A.D.A. in collaboration with La Terza Prattica hosted an online conversation with Deda Cristina Colonna, in which the work was presented to the Italian public: besides Deda Cristina Colonna, Alicja Wegorszewska-Whiskerd also spoke, Francesco Vitali, Tosca Rousseau, Kieran White, Karin Modigh, Adrian Navarro, Valerie Lauer, Johanna Lichorowicz-Grés.

Right away, the Italian translation of the text in the film:

The Coronavirus emergency caught us in the middle of a very exciting project at the Warszawska Opera Kameralna: “Beaver and Pollux” by Jean-Philippe Rameau, a work written for the first time in 1737 and revised in 1754. My concept for the direction and choreography of ” Beaver and Pollux’ at the Warsaw Chamber Opera is shared with the musical director Stefan Plewniak and the set designer, costume and light designer Francesco Vitali.

For this concept, I read the booklet through the lens of esoteric astronomy and the Tarot. The work tells the myth of the origin of the Gemini constellation, interpreted here as a metaphor of man's personal journey from the darkness of doubt and error, to the conquest of a divine status. Complete human awareness is acquired through the harmonization of contrasting inner forces.

 Two brothers at the beginning of the work, Castor and Pollux, they are in love with the same woman: Telaire. Two sisters, Telaire and Phoebe, they are in love with the same man: Castor. Pollux, king of Sparta, immortal son of Jupiter, turns to his almighty father after the death of his brother Castor, only to find she can't help him. Pollux must start alone on the initiatory path that will eventually reunite him with his brother, through the pain of renunciation, but also with the sweet awareness of receiving a greater good in exchange. Born as brothers, Castor and Pollux are finally reunited as twins: the Gemini of the Zodiac. The mortal and divine part of man unite when full personal fulfillment is achieved.

The main characters are represented as the Major Arcana of the Tarot, a system of meditation and a tool for investigating relationships and thoughts, connected with astrology and full of wisdom from multiple cultures and esoteric traditions. Their sequence represents a path towards spiritual self-awareness and the various phases of the search for greater human meaning and understanding. At the beginning of the third act, where the libretto suggests that Pollux should offer a sacrifice to invite Jupiter to manifest in the temple, in this direction the Gran Prêtre meditates while reading the Tarot to call him to himself.

Castor is associated with the Hanged Man, which represents self-denial, the acceptance of personal sacrifice, disinterest, submission to duty, a Moon-Venus influence and the zodiac sign of Pisces.

The card associated with Pollux is the Magician, the counterpart of the Hanged Man; seen as Aries in the Zodiac, represents the starting point of the action, Mercury influence, dexterity, eloquence, generosity and restless energy.

Telaira, daughter of the sun, embodies the Stars: this card evokes a Sun-Venus influence, the zodiac sign of Aquarius, immortality, the hope, human love in all its beauty, trust in destiny, realization through order and harmony. Télaïre and Castor love each other deeply, but there is no place for feelings like theirs in the final solution proposed by Jupiter. They will be separated for the greater good. Telaïre will be transformed into a beautiful star that adorns the sky with its beauty, while Castor and Pollux will have their place in the zodiacal cycle as a constellation of Gemini.

Telaïre's sister, Phébé, it is the Moon, also associated with Pisces and indicating darkness, the agitated conscience, the errors of the senses, the deceptions, the delusion, jealousy, the troubled and passionate feelings that cause disorder. Her jealousy will take her to the Underworld in search of her beloved Castor and eventually kill her.

Jupiter is the Pope, corresponding to the zodiac sign of Taurus. He is a dispenser of intellectual laws, moral and physical and logical solutions; this card represents a Jovian influence and powerful feelings, solid affections without sentimentality, as well as duty and morals.

Mercure is interpreted as Temperance. This delicate card is associated with Sagittarius as an arcane of conciliation, of the meeting, of balance, of transformation and healing, pouring a universal harmony on the individual imbalance. Mercure helps Pollux to defeat the infernal monsters and to go through the door of the Underworld.

An alternating dialectic is established at the end of each act, when the dramatic tension is momentarily relaxed in the choreographic divertissement. The dancers initially embody the inhabitants of Sparta and different aspects of brotherly relationships. In real life, not all brothers are as generous and loving towards each other as Castor and Pollux, so on stage we see conflict and separation, rivalry and loneliness. Later the dancers are transformed into the characters who meet Pollux and Castor on their initiatory journey towards the reunion: heavenly pleasures, hellish fury and happy inhabitants of the Elysian Fields. In the last chaconne the dancers are like planets and zodiac signs, according to the booklet.

The choir plays a very important role in this opera, commenting and accompanying the protagonists on their initiatory journey with many different characters: Spartans, Athletes, Anger, Heavenly pleasures and Happy Shadows in the Elysian fields. I combined the historical gesture and the baroque dance with Tanztheater, in order to create a specific theatrical language for this production, with the aim of using the deep knowledge of historical sources towards a new style, personal, historically informed, but contemporary in the direction and choreography of this masterpiece by 18 Century.

I can't wait to return to the Warszawska Opera Kameralna with Stefan Plewniak, Francesco Vitali and the rest of the creative team for the full realization of “Beaver and Pollux”. 

Soon, Warsaw!