61 instrument of transformation. It can become and express anything.” La damnation de Faust immediately captured her imagination. “Berlioz wrote the work for the concert hall. His primary focus was musical expression, rather than a psychologically and pragmatically developed operatic narrative. As a result, the score offers a vast openness and a wealth of contrasts: the heavy, monumental and overwhelming, set against the ethereal, fragile and intimate.” Visual artist Levi van Veluw For La damnation de Faust, Nanine Linning collaborates with Dutch visual artist Levi van Veluw. “I first came across his work around 2008 at a museum. In the years that followed, his oeuvre developed strongly, especially in spatial terms. He began working with architectural forms, temple-like structures and drawn landscapes and spaces that immediately felt like scenography to me. Levi understands dramaturgy, time and change. Although he doesn’t have a theatre background, his way of thinking is closely related to mine.” Together they will develop a space that reflects the world of the main character, Faust. “Faust doesn’t go through any development in the piece, any growth. He learns nothing, and at the end he’s just the same as in the beginning. He’s completely focused on himself. That’s where we situate the work: in that inner world, his brain, full of desires and obsessions.” Soaring into the stratosphere The title role of Faust will be sung by tenor John Osborn. He made his debut with Dutch National Opera more than twenty years ago, in 2003, and has returned regularly in a wide range of roles that have become increasingly dramatic. “Berlioz in general requires a tenor voice that can soar into the stratosphere with ease and continue a sustained legato line, a good musician who can sensibly manage the varying colours and dynamics, and an artist who can interpret the text like a poet. The depth and interpretation of the text is of the utmost importance, and if you have difficulty singing it, you’ll find it nearly impossible to interpret it in a coherent way that truly communicates with the audience.” Berlioz also demands performers with a sharp mind. “He was, I think, purposefully as unpredictable as possible, requiring an incredible memory to keep the various lines precise and correct. The orchestration is exciting, super lush at times, and almost transparent at other times. It seems sort of French-Wagnerian throughout. He really throws everything at you, including the kitchen sink.” Text: Laura Roling “ Movement can’t exist without breath, and neither can singing” Nanine Linning Photo: Figge Photography John Osborn
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