Party in the Villa was written in 2008 and is a chamber opera about two couples who meet one evening to have a party in a villa in the suburb. Everything is nice and cozy, they all want a nice evening, but all the time the facades are cracking and what’s behind trickles out, sometimes between the lines, felt in the atmosphere, sometimes pronounced and confrontational. The longer the evening suffers and the bottles are emptied, the more comes out of trauma, grief, disappointment, aggression and the various longings all carry. Often, without the ability to process emotionally.
Party in the Villa grew out of a creative process in which the entire ensemble improvised, shared memories and experiences, talked and discussed topics lice partner relationships, life projects, to have/not have children, to have the house, wanting to show a positive wiev on life despite all the difficult, that is also a reality.
After this process Niklas wrote the libretto and music. The libretto consists entirely of material from the process and the work in progress with everyone in the group.
Party in the Villa premiered in 2008 and was played again in 2010 in a completely reworked version.
There is an extensive blog from the process as possible to see here.
See Party in the Villa full performance from 2008. (swedish)
Akt 1 Akt 2 Akt 3
The guests arrives, Party in the House 2010 (swedish)
Participating 2008
Niklas Rydén, composer, libretto, project leader.
Johanna Larsson, light design, director, co-creator.
Jim Berggren, visual artist, images and projections.
Erika Alexandersson, singer, co-creator.
David Sperling, singer, co-creator.
My Engström, singer.
Jorge Alcaide, singer.
Anna Gustafsson, singer, percussion, accordion.
Magnus Bergström, singer, bass, co-creator.
Fredrika Byman Moberg, dance artist, co-creator.
Emma Rygielski, project leader, producer.
Erika von Weissenberg, costume
Pär Bengtsson, sound and projection technique.
Uncas Rydén, co-creator in the libretto.
Participating 2010
Niklas Rydén, libretto, music, piano.
Johanna Larsson, light, direction, set building.
Linda Wallgren, set design, costume.
Sofia My Fryklund, song.
David Sperling, song.
My Engström Renman, song.
Jorge Alcaide, song.
Jonas Franke-Blom, cello, musical arrangement.
Andreas Edlund, clarinets
Margarida Araújo, violin, altviolin.
Pär Bengtsson, sound and set technique.