Inside the Music

Mikael Karlsson is an exciting name in the performing arts. In his scores for theatre, opera, ballet and film, the Swedish composer manages to combine the atmospheric with the dramatic, and a minimalist style with expressive lyricism. For Fanny and Alexander, too, his opera creation based on Ingmar Bergman’s iconic film, Karlsson wrote a score that does not allow him to be pigeonholed. He has La Monnaie Orchestra’s rich, organic sound converse with ingenious surround electronics, which produce an extraordinary, immersive sound experience from every corner of the theatre.

During this encounter, Mikael Karlsson and his librettist Royce Vavrek will tell you all about the creative process behind this new opera. How do you capture a cinematographic masterpiece about early 20^th-century, upper-middle-class Sweden in contemporary music? How can soundscapes be used in a théâtre à l’italienne with its traditional acoustics? And what ground-breaking possibilities do they hold for a 21^st-century opera experience? You will find out during this fascinating talk, enriched with musical interludes by countertenor Logan Lopez Gonzalez (MM Laureate) and rounded off with a companiable reception.