PASCAL GERMAIN-BERARDI
« Basileus »
QUEBEC
WORLD PREMIERE
THURSDAY MAY 16
CARRÉ 150 (Salle F. Lemaire)
8 PM - $44
A collaboration 
Pascal Germain-Berardi : composition, chef d’orchestre
Temps Fort : production
Sébastien Johnson : textes
Marie-Ève Groulx : mise en scène
Sarah Albu, Charlotte Gagnon, Dominic Lorange, Anthony Ormsby : solistes
Ensemble Horizon : cuivres
Ensemble Forestare : guitares et contrebasse
Ensemble Sixtrum : percussions
Growlers Choir : chœur de hurleurs métal
Charlotte Cartel : costumes
PASCAL GERMAIN-BERARDI is a Montreal composer, conductor, and artistic director (Temps Fort) who has conceived and created « Basileus », an oratorio in four acts with a libretto by SÉBASTIEN JOHNSON. This hugely ambitious work, staged by MARIE-ÈVE GROULX, features more than fifty Quebec artists onstage. At root, it is a family drama set during a violent era, its protagonists hungry for honour and craving both freedom and dominion. Four characters, all from the same family, animate this tragedy about bloodlines and the anxiety of origin, exploring how they may be liberated from the weight of the past while engendering personal freedom and collective responsibility. These roles are performed by dynamic and complementary soloists including SARAH ALBU (“The Matriarch”), CHARLOTTE GAGNON (“Ades”), and DOMINIC LORANGE (“Agis”), accompanied by a sprawling orchestra of guitars, brass, percussion, plus the inimitably visceral sound of the heavy metal hurleurs ensemble, GROWLERS CHOIR.
