The power of aesthetics is formidable – a realisation with which politics also attempted to capitalise on in the 20th century. But there is no doubt: art can lead astray. Music is particularly aware of this potency, directly targeting human senses and emotions. The new music theater production by La Fura dels Baus group tells of the siren’s call in an unreal fantasy world, just as theatre naturally conjures up time and again.
A young woman is searching for the absolute work of art. Disappointed by the real world in which she lives, she escapes to a virtual space, progressively losing herself in its aesthetic allure and technological possibilities. Internal and external boundaries become blurred, as does the distinction between reality and illusion. Even the separation of air and water as elements seems to be suspended. But upon reflection, the woman becomes increasingly aware of the absence of life in the superficial splendour of technical perfection.
La Fura never ceases to amaze with its equally maverick and brilliant stage spectacle which condenses opera, cabaret and installation to poetic moments. In Cantos de Sirena music comes into its own: vocal and instrumental numbers from various epochs celebrate the magic of infatuation, each in its own way. Lucerne Theater presents Cantos de Sirena where technology already plays an essential role: at the Swiss Museum of Transport.
