Breaking the silence

Breaking The Silence (2017-2018)

In the music theatre play Breaking the Silence (in collaboration with music theater company Via Berlin), BSQ explores together with actress Dagmar Slagmolen, the story of a composer who lived behind the iron curtain

‘Breaking The Silence’ tells the story of a woman living in the midst of a dictatorial regime. She is a talented cello player whose husband, a favoured but stubborn composer, suddenly disappears. On the day of his disappearance she finds a daring new piece of music her husband composed, leading her to start a frantic and dangerous search for him, making her delve into their past. Unanswered questions plague her during her search: why did her husband compose this type of music all of a sudden? It’s a-tonal, cynical and clearly critiques the regime. Did he challenge their safety on purpose?
In this play the life story of Shostakovich is constantly present in the background.

The show was played more than 50 times around the world: Oerol Festival, the Grachtenfestival, Kosovo, Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg), at the Wuzhen Theater Festival in China and during a theater tour throughout the Netherlands.
Music of the Hungarian composer Ligeti and Russian composer Sjostakovich have been exclusively adapted for the play. Peter Vigh has composed new pieces specifically for tape recorder, intertwining music and lyrics.