Stories without words, Sara Salvérius

In the spring of 2024, Sara Salvérius went to residential care center Clos Bizet in Anderlecht. At the request of Klarafestival, she stayed there in residence for a week. She met the residents, listened to their stories, and worked on new music. Thus, Stories without words was born, a series of intimate compositions for accordion and clarinet in which the lives of a generation that is all too often no longer heard resonate. In the company of clarinetist Jean-Philippe Poncin, Sara tours with Stories without words along large stages, small halls, living rooms, and residential care centers. Between the music, she talks about the people who entrusted her with their life stories: a poet who is losing his words, a couple with an impressive collection of stuffed animals, a man who can barely move after a stroke. How much those encounters got under the skin is audible in the music: sometimes vulnerable and melancholic, but equally spirited and full of zest for life. The characteristic timbre of the clarinet merges effortlessly with the wistful sound color of the accordion. Sara’s lived-in compositions and the sensitive improvisations of Jean-Philippe Poncin do full justice to the rich, layered lives of the residents of Clos Bizet. accordion & composition Sara Salvérius - clarinet & bass clarinet Jean-Philippe Poncin - photo Johan Jacobs