Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking

Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking (2018) is a planned theatre production by The National Theatre, based on the play by Peter Handke, with especially composed music by Simon Revholt. The production will be performed in the theatre's venue Amfiscenen (The Amphi Stage).

Melanie Mederlind directs it.

Information

(Objekt ID 86055)
Object type Production
Premiere October 18, 2018
Produced by The National Theatre
Based on Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking by Peter Handke
Audience Adults
Language Norwegian
Keywords Theatre, Drama
Running period October 18, 2018  
Website Nationaltheatret
More

At the webpage of The National Theatre the following, among other things, is written about Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking:

"A group of strangers travel to a country far to the north. The purpose is learning how to ask the right questions, not just to find answers. As the journey progresses, they leave their self-consciousness behind and to a larger degree, they become part of the world and the nature. But are they travelling towards a deserted country within their own minds, or are they really on their way to the outer limits of the world?

Peter Handke has called Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking from 1989 his Faust. Handke has awoken controversy due to his statements on the wars in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990es. Several objected when he received The International Ibsen Award in 2014. The theatre Comédie Française in France cancelled Voyage to The Sonorous Land or the Art of Asking in 2006 due to controversy surrounding Handke. Yet, the play in itself is not political.

The Swedish director Melanie Mederlind has specialised in contemporary German drama, and in collaboration with stage designer and costume designer Katrin Nottrodt she now creates a visual ambience in this version of Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking. The title means'the journey to the land filled with chords', a place where one can listen, feel and ask questions. ComposerSimon Revholt sets music to this rich, violent and beautiful text, filled with references to different literary works and popular culture. Asking the right questions is the precondition for wisdom and art, and to learn how is an art in itself, according to Handke."

In a press release from The National Theatre the following, among other things, is written about Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking:

"Last, but not least, we offer a meeting with the playwright Peter Handke, the recipient of The International Ibsen Award 2014. His play Voyage to the Sonorous Land or The Art of Asking is about asking the right questions, the very precondition for art and recognition."

SOURCES:

Press release from The National Theatre via My Newsdesk 26.04.2018, www.mynewsdesk.com, 26.04.2018, http://www.mynewsdesk.com/no/nationaltheatret/pressreleases/teaterhoesten-2018-er-lansert-2489696

The National Theatre, nationaltheatret.no, 26.04.2018, https://www.nationaltheatret.no/forestillinger/kunsten-a-sporre-eller-reisen-til-det-sonore-landet/

Performance dates
October 18, 2018Amfiscenen, Nationaltheatret, The National Theatre National premiere, Norway