La Mer is a visually rich and emotionally charged multimedia performance about the beauty and fragility of our oceans. Only during the premiere series at the Nieuwe Luxor will this production take on an extra dimension: the music will be performed live by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and 16 female singers from Laurens Collegium, under the direction of world-renowned conductor and soprano Barbara Hannigan.
This new production is based on Claude Debussy’s grand and iconic *La Mer* (1905) and his choral work *Sirènes*. With her 25 dancers, Nanine Linning contrasts the naïve-romantic imagination of the sea from Debussy’s time with today’s harsh reality, shaped by rising sea levels and pollution. La Mer invites us to reflect on our own actions. The result is a compelling hybrid of dance, music, couture, and video art that moves us both physically and intellectually.
Yannis Kyriakides’ cinematic music offers a contemporary counterpart to Debussy’s beloved symphony. His sound composition is inspired by recent hydrophone recordings from the deepest parts of the ocean—recordings that reveal that these depths are, in fact, teeming with life and sound.
In *La Mer*, Barbara Hannigan alternates her role as conductor with a unique appearance on stage: singing and moving, she becomes part of the choreography alongside the dancers. Following the successful production *Anima Obscura*, Linning and her international artistic team once again create an overwhelming total experience. The digital scenography by media artist Heleen Blanken and more than eighty sustainable costumes by Japanese haute couture designer Yuima Nakazato transform the stage into a mysterious, fluid world where beauty and menace go hand in hand.
We’re offering tickets for the preview on October 8 with a €10 discount (the discount is already included in the ticket price).