The Counsel of Things
The Counsel of Things is an opera-installation based on the ideas of Byung-Chul Han and Marie Kondo. Baritone Víctor Torres and pianist Paula Shocron are immersed in a large number of selected, acquired, restored and catalogued objects on which the dramaturgy and musical improvisation unfold. Voice and piano carry forward a dialogue that starts with songs by Debussy, Satie, Fauré and Messiaen to explore the soundscapes of a tradition, a materiality and a world that vanish in the age of digitalisation.
This piece continues a collaborative work begun with Conservatory, commissioned for the exhibition Bigger Than Sound curated by Josefina Barcia at the Hessel Museum at Bard College, New York, April-May 2024.
Premiered as work in progress at the Festival Nueva Ópera and at the Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires, in 2024.
Baritone
Vítor Torres
Piano
Paula Shocron
Curator
Josefina Barcia
Production
Felicitas Oliden
Assistant director
Diego Sánchez White
Photography and video
Eduardo Carrera
Artistic assistance
Alejandro Quesada
Dramaturgy and direction
Florencia Werchowsky