SÁGASÁGA

In 2011, one of Belgium’s finest indie bands whose style fuses jazz, gospel, spirituals, and drama, Dez Mona, engaged in a sparkling collaboration with B.O.X. (Baroque Orchestration X), along with the outstanding vocalist Gregory Frateur, for the creation of Sága. Sága stands midway between a modern opera and a song cycle, and deals with “homecoming” as its main theme. The title of the work refers to the well-known epic tales composed in Iceland and Greenland some time between the 12th and 14th centuries, and also to Sága: in Norse mythology she is the goddess of history and storytelling. Dez Mona tells stories about the soul, and goes in search of their love for the land, a home, and the world in which they live. The songs emanate from the continuous search for ideal geographical and spiritual surroundings. By looking into the past, Dez Mona tries to explain the current state of affairs. But more than anything, their latest work is a poetic reflection on what is happening here and now. Sága springs from an alliance with B.O.X., a classically trained ensemble that almost exclusively makes use of baroque instruments. The latter yield sounds and textures seldomly heard in contemporary popular music. But even though the harpsichord, viola da gamba, baroque harp and theorbo (a lute like, stringed instrument) play a prominent role in the songs, to most listeners Dez Mona’s musical universe will remain familiar. Along with B.O.X., conducted by Peter Theuns, Gregory Frateur and Nicolas Rombouts extend their musical realm with typically baroque instruments: a fusion and cross-pollination of musical language and emotion. They have written a completely new repertoire of intense ballads and narratives about the soul, the search for a home and the quest for light in a flawed world. With Sága, Dez Mona creates an opera reflective of our time, a poetic expression of our inner and outer world.

By Dez Mona and Baroque Orchestration X (B.O.X)

Music by Gregory Frateur and Nicolas Rombouts

Vocals and Lyrics by Gregory Frateur

Double Bass/Vocals/Arrangements by Nicolas Rombouts

Accordion by Roel Van Camp

Theorbo/Arrangements/Vocals by Pieter Theuns

Harp and Vocals by Jutta Troch

Viola da gamba and Vocals by Pieter Vandeveire Violin/Guitar/Trombone/Vocals by Tijs Delbeke

Credits: Sága was created with the support of de Singel in Antwerp, the Flemish Government, Flanders House, Klara festival and Opera Days Rotterdam. Co-presented with National Sawdust