Katrien Baerts, Thomas Bauer & Oxalys, Hertog Blauwbaards castle

A castle without windows. Walls that breathe. Seven doors that are better left closed. Bartók's only opera is a psychological musical thriller. Oxalys presents the masterpiece in a razor-sharp chamber music version by Siebe Thijs for an ensemble of strings, winds, harp, and percussion – less orchestra, more urgency. Katrien Baerts and Thomas Bauer do not make Judith and Bluebeard symbols, but people of flesh, blood, and doubt. Beforehand – also penned by Thijs – you will hear sighs, breaths, whispers, moans: a new composition that magnifies the sighs from Bartók's score into a sultry soundscape. Lise Bruyneels video performance drags us through corridors, past stairs and dungeons. Does the castle even exist? Or are we looking into a brain on the verge of collapse? The doors are ajar. You will discover the rest in our concert hall.