Iran ian Voices
2012
A sixteen-year-old who beats her rapist to death. A severely depressed student kissing a man in the park. A judge who repeatedly sentences women to death. A mother standing up for her gay son. People who no longer participate. Against the backdrop of the story of the mad poet Madjnun and his mute lover Laila, the speakers struggle to find their own attitude toward events in contemporary Iran. Jasmin Tabatabai and a strong ensemble of post-migrant speakers place narrative and resistance in a tense relationship that always remains personal and seeks to achieve reflection rather than consternation. Composer and bandleader Marc Sinan sets ironic, sensitive and brute soundscapes with Serbian jazz singer Jelena Kuljic against the classical-Persian miniatures – with Iranian music legend Kayhan Kalhor, among others.
Sponsored by Riksteatern – Swedish National Touring Theatre and the Swedish International Development Agency(SIDA).
“The radio play lives especially from the haunting compositions of the German-Turkish guitarist Marc Sinan. His experimental music turns the original sounds, sound recordings and the scenic text into a vivid listening experience that gets under the skin: broken and at the same time harmonious, between hope and disappointment – just like an oriental fairy tale.” Deutschlandradio Kultur, 25.05.2013 ”
With a synthesis of distance and proximity, epic and documentary,Republic of the Mad uncovers a world that seems like an evil fairy tale in Europe. This is precisely why it is important to hear these Iranian voices: because not every fairy tale is mere fantasy.”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 31.08.2013
Oliver Kontny Text and direction MARC SINAN COMPANY Marc Sinan Guitar Kayhan Kalhor Stachelfidel Kamancheh Jelena Kuljić Vocals Johannes Lauer Trombone Christian Lillinger, Bernd Özsevim Percussion Nora Abdel-Maksoud, Adolfo Assor, Elmira Bahrami, Salome Dastmalchi, Alina Manoukian, Jasmin Tabatabai, Bijan Zamani, Maryam Zaree Speakers The Republic of Madmen was published by Verlag Buchfunk in 2013.
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