THÉÂTRE DU SOLEIL AND THE MUSIC OF JEAN-JACQUES LEMÊTRE

Abstract

The contemporary performative scene is defined by the interaction of the means of artistic expression, which determines a permanent renewal of the scenic language. This article discusses the multiple stage practices that animate performances in theater and music, in their complementarity or dynamic confrontation. These interactions are presented here from the perspective of the specific musical work of Jean-Jacques Lemêtre, who facilitated a voice and movement rhythm workshop at the Faculty of Theater and Film within Babeș-Bolyai University, in March 2023. Unique figure in the theatrical musical landscape, he has been the musician, composer, luthier, and interpreter of the sound universe of Théâtre du Soleil performances for more than forty years. This work aims to demonstrate that music for theater is a special genre born through the process of organic integration of the theatricality of the stage, by assuming the risk of being contaminated by the impurity generated by the actors' bodies that emit their own sound universe. Music for theater is enriched and energized by these experiences born from the osmosis of sound - enhanced image into organic and fruitful connections.