Kein, some words

 

KEIN is a music theatre show which stages four string musicians, traditionnally associated in the iconic ensemble called string quartet. But KEIN doesn´t explore once more what a string quartet is, but more gives some oblique lights on what it is not. All the muscians for instance play on a Stroh instrument, which is a string instrument with a membrane and a horn, originally conceived in the beginning of the XXth century. Each musician also has a  strong vocal part, moves on stage, swaps instruments, which already deterritorialize the classical string quartet. So one theme of the show is to reflect on this musical form and genre, the string quartet, which represents (supposidely) the summum in western classical music, from Beethoven on. Here this icon is put upside down, not only because the musicians are required to do unuasal actions, but also because the text they speak mainly deals with oppression, disrespect, identity loss and rivalty. The authors are Derrida, anonymous (a black sportman commenting on his perfornance and his team, and colored woman insulted in a Mc Donald), Malcolm X discussing his name origins. This whole disparate set of conversations and statements, which are not very optimistic, are interfering with a music that i elaborated from a quotation from Gabriel Fauré. This french composer is one of the finest of his period, and he is also very typical of the french raffined "salon" music of the XIX century. This quotation works as a "home marker", which means that it brings us to where the classical string quartet stands, and offers a great contrast and space for the voices and the real world to appear.