Summary
An interactive show for little and big ears
Camille Gimenez-Lavaud – Mezzo-soprano (Amara), concept and libretto
Alexis Dubroca – Piano (Annunaki)
Ages 6 and up
Running time: 40 minutes
Minimalist format, suited to any venue: theatre, school, nursery…
Educational workshops available alongside the show
The tale
In a faraway kingdom, at the ends of the earth and beyond the seas, there lived a capricious king called Annunaki. He made life impossible for everyone around him. Only Amara, his servant, was willing to spend time with him…
One day, after a terrible fit of rage that shakes the palace walls, a genie appears and gives him one year to find a woman who will love him and whom he will love. Annunaki and Amara write to every princess on earth – and then the replies start to arrive…
A tale to discover opera
Each letter Annunaki receives comes from a different country and comes to life through a carefully chosen piece: a song by Maurice Delage for India, Carmen for Spain… Opera excerpts, art songs and songs from around the world are sung mostly in French, so that children can easily follow the story.
On stage, the two characters play off each other, by turns pianist, singer, storytellers and actors. The audience joins in: they sing the chorus of Carmen’s “Prends garde à toi !”, accompany the African song with body percussion and take part in the ending.
Like every tale, Annunaki et Amara has a moral: there’s no point searching for happiness elsewhere, in far-off lands of our dreams, because it is often right beside us – as long as we are willing to open up to others…
Repertoire
Grieg (Solveig’s Song, Peer Gynt), Poulenc (La Reine de Cœur, La Courte Paille; “Non, Monsieur mon mari”, Les Mamelles de Tirésias), Bizet (“Près des remparts de Séville”, Carmen), Isabelle Aboulker (“Je t’aime”, excerpt), Chopin (Minute Waltz, Op. 64 No. 1), Maurice Delage (Lahore, Quatre poèmes hindous, excerpt), Cécile Chaminade (Tu me dirais), “Olele Moliba Makasi”, traditional Congolese song
The workshops
Rhythm and body percussion: an introduction to rhythm, learning the traditional African melody and its movements, then improvisation.
Introduction to singing: discovering the singing voice and breathing through vocal games, and learning the sung parts of the show.
Discovering opera: voice types, how an opera comes to life, the libretto… and the big question: can you really sing that loud without a microphone?
Flexible workshops, from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
The performers
Camille Gimenez-Lavaud – Mezzo-soprano. Her roles include Charlotte (Werther) and Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), and she takes particular joy in the French repertoire, from opera to art song. Trained in music outreach through the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, she is also committed to working with vulnerable audiences.
Alexis Dubroca – A graduate of the CNSMD de Lyon (Master’s in performance, highest honours by unanimous decision with the jury’s congratulations), he is a vocal coach and teaches accompaniment at the Conservatoire de Pantin.
A production by the company Les Caprices Lyriques
