Tesla

Live electronic performance

Creation January 2022

Duration: 40 minutes

Artistic direction and music: Hervé Birolini

Music: François Donato

Original libretto: Dominique Petitgand

Recorded voice: Denis REY

Une pièce au carrefour de la dramatique radiophonique, de la performance live électronique et du cinéma d’anticipation.

Nikola Tesla, dedicated his life to imagining the many faces of electricity. He saw the extraordinary capabilities that humanity could expect from this energy, but somehow he got a little lost along the way, in the infinite intertwining of possibilities. As an inventor and engineering genius, he was responsible for countless tools of modern civilization and remains one of the greatest minds that humanity has ever known.

We don't want to tell the story of Nikola Tesla. Rather, we want to uncover the raw material, bring out some of the notions that made the daily life of this genius inventor, immerse ourselves in a poetic way in the story of what his thoughts could have been. The device: a mixed field of 16 omnidirectional loudspeakers surmounted by Tesla coils, a few discreet lights to guide the ear and the original booklet by Dominique Petitgand who dreamt in words the universe of this tireless researcher.

The play was premiered on 14 and 15 January 2022 at La cité musicale in Metz.

Production : Compagnie Distorsions - The Distorsions company has obtained the triennial aid for the development of the Grand Est Region and the 2020-2021 Structuring Aid from the DRAC Grand Est.

Coproductions: Césaré - Centre National de Création Musicale in Reims, La Muse en Circuit - Centre National de Création Musicale, Cité Musicale-Metz, Studio Eole (Toulouse).

Supporters: DRAC Grand Est, City of Nancy (as part of the creative residency programme at the Théâtre de Mon Désert).

Residencies: Césaré, CCAM Vandœuvre lès Nancy, Studio Eole, NEST, Théâtre de Mon Désert.

Electronic developments: Interface-Z

General management: Floxel Barbelin