Nour

In this new show for young audiences, Canticum Novum calls upon our collective and individual memory. The ensemble questions generational transmission: how does the family unit become a territory for sharing and transmission? How are our family legends constructed? How do we bring the past to life through memories?

In an imaginary Near East, the story is built around a family history recounted in a notebook. A swollen notebook, worn by the years, which passes from hand to hand. Treasures gleaned in the street are pasted into it, recipes are noted, snippets of history are scribbled. We confide in it a few secrets, whisper our sorrows and hopes. We tell the story of our lives. We tell ourselves.

A multidisciplinary musical tale

The music of this show is at the crossroads of the traditional repertoires of the Silk Road (music from Eastern Europe, Turkey, Syria and Persia) and the cosmopolitan identity of Canticum Novum. For several years now, the ensemble has liked to evoke the cultural crossroads that was the ancient Near East by underlining the musical impregnation of the cultures involved. This show is enriched by new creations by Alyosha Regnard.

The story is imagined as snapshots of life, in resonance with the graphic, musical and dance creations. It forms the narrative thread that weaves the various media together. Voice-overs also bring to life the many characters who appear on the pages.

Dance is a gestural language to tell one's story, to tell one's emotions beyond words in a bodily dialogue between contemporary dance and traditional Middle Eastern dances.

The illustrations evoke the themes of daily life, from small street jobs to the intimacy of the home, from the market to the tannery. The child looks at what surrounds him and gradually opens his horizon. The intimate and singular images deposited in this imaginary notebook are recorded to bear witness but also to save certain precious moments from being forgotten.

Creation April 2023 at the Opéra-Théâtre de Saint-Étienne 
From 6 years old
Duration: 50 minutes

Cast
4 musicians and 1 dancer
Musical direction: Emmanuel Bardon

Anasma - dance
Emmanuel Bardon - singing
Pernelle Marzorati - harp
Aliocha Regnard - nyckelharpa, fidula, compositions
Henri-Charles Caget - percussion

Creative team 
Anasma, choreography
Élodie Chan, writing, directing
Judith Chomel, image production
Adrian Tissot, graphic animation
Hervé Recorbet, set design, lighting
Guillaume Blanc, video coordination
Angeline Bouille, external view
Aliocha Regnard, compositions
Henri-Charles Caget, compositions and arrangements
Clara Ognibene, costumes