Schizophrenia

STORYLINE

Angustias has suffered a strange case of split personality: one day her social mask fell off and now, having become a musical diva, the two compete to see which is the most authentic.

At the same time, the cynical Ever (who likes to sin more than anyone else), has undergone the same Split and is pursued by his other Self: the strict Reverend Severian.

SCHIZOPHRENIA

A combination of textual theatre with opera in an amusing psychological “thriller” accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

It is the fifth creation of Eduardo Diago with text and music united in a humorous manner, but not in the style of American musicals.  Another example of his work is “Cecilio In Memorium” (a funerial comedy) which since its first performances at the Malic Theatre, has toured around Catalonia, much of Spain and Portugal, and has also been performed in diverse festivals.

The relationship between music and the word is explored in Schizophrenia in all its aspects. Of the four protagonists, Angui (soprano) represents the genre of opera, while the Reverend Severian (bass-baritone) represents cantata-oratorio. At the same time the alter ego of Severian, Ever, is a musical actor in the vein of musical theatre and finally, Angustias (the actress) with a text devoid of sound, contrasts with the soprano. The Schizophrenia orchestra (made up of clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, violin, violoncello and percussion) at times simply backs up the singing, at other moments suggests or enriches scenes without text in a manner rather like that of silent films.

The work is open to all possible compositional techniques, and for this reason the music plays with both tonal and atonal passages, modal music, etc., while endeavouring to remain accessible and foster the chemistry between the spectator and the work on stage.