Derek Bermel’s latest commissioned work Hyllos, was premiered in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Holland, earlier this month. The ASKO|Schoenberg ensemble and Veenfabriek commissioned Bermel to write a 30-minute original score for Paul Koek and Herman Altena’s two and a half hour play, the ‘Greek tragedy’, Hyllos.
“The music in this performance is of great beauty. In various formations on and around the stage, the musicians of Veenfabriek and the Asko | Schönberg performed the specially composed music by American composer Derek Bermel, in addition to extracts by Ives , Bruckner , and Diepenbrock… Their melancholic folk inflections, infectious Balkan rhythms and poignant ballads support and illustrate the drama wonderfully… Politics rarely sounded so beautiful.”
Theatrekrant (Joke Beeckmans), 16 November 2013
‘Hyllos is a political tragedy about democratic ideals and their drawbacks. The story is situated in Trachis. After the death of the old king Herakles, his son Hyllos takes power. He wants to replace the autocratic regime of his father by an open democracy, modelled on the democratic reforms Theseus introduced in Athens. Theseus’ democratic system brought Athens great prosperity and turned the city state into a regional economic and political superpower.
Hyllos’ plans are thwarted by the old loyalists of Herakles and their leader Lykos, who was responsible for maintaining the civil order during Herakles’ kingship. Lykos refuses to sacrifice his old power for democratic ideals with a most uncertain outcome. Then refugees from Athens arrive, reporting on the turmoil that the new democratic system has caused there.
In Hyllos, the citizens of Trachis and Athens long for a new future, and the political shape of that future is at stake in the fierce debates between their leaders. They exploit and manipulate the hope and fears of their citizens by intimidations and by statements which are impossible to verify.’
The Dutch theatre piece has many performances lined up this side of Christmas, with a run of performances at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, De Duif, Amsterdam and Der AA Kerk, Groningen.
Please follow the links below for video tasters of Hyllos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3RTEZsm6ro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD8UbD6ht_g
For more information and to buy tickets, please visit the Veenfabriek website.