World premiere in Karlsruhe 30 April 2004 with live satellite link-up to Jerusalem, Istanbul and Belfast CREDO

A multimedia musical and theatrical performance about ethnic and religious co-existence and conflict, produced by Fabrica Musica in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Staatstheater, with the support of the European Union.

Karlsruhe 29th April 2004. The contact-clash between different cultures, ethnic groups, religions and nations is the central theme of CREDO, a multimedia musical and theatrical performance produced by Fabrica Musica. The world premiere will take place at the Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 30 April 2004 with a live satellite link-up to Jerusalem, Istanbul and Belfast.

CREDO - the first word of the Apostles' Creed and a statement of faith - is based on an idea that is common to all projects at Fabrica (Benetton Group's communication research centre), i.e. that the arts, entertainment and communication should be concerned with matters important to society. In this case, the subject is co-existence, the need for diverse communities to live together responsibly and their capacity to perceive the other's difference as a source of enrichment not danger.

The musical part of the performance is directed by Andrea Molino, director of Fabrica Musica, while the theatrical side is directed by Achim Thorwald, director of the Staatstheater. CREDO a multimedia performance, with pieces of music, spoken parts, photographs and videos and is performed by the Badische Staatskapelle, the symphonic orchestra of the Staatstheater composed of 90 musicians, David Moss and a group of over twenty young, international musicians chosen by Fabrica in countries including Israel, Turkey and Northern Ireland, where the project's central theme is particularly relevant.

The collection of texts, photographs and videos which form CREDO's libretto was prepared through the research of some 50 international correspondents of Colors Magazine. "We sought out people, children of mixed marriages, in Belfast, Jerusalem and Istanbul who had personal, direct experience of the violence of racial conflict," said Molino. "Our purpose was to focus attention on them and let them talk or just be seen, bearing physical, flesh and blood witness to the fact that we create wars, they don't just happen. In other words, we're convinced that today, in complex and dangerous cultural circumstances, "bastards" (Deuteronomy 23,3) can become an ideal symbol of the absurdity of conflict, because they are living proof that races, cultures and religions can coexist."

The young musicians prepared for this performance with Andrea Molino, at Fabrica. They will perform live from Jerusalem, Istanbul and Belfast, fusing their respective musical languages in a multimedia performance in which video elements and music share a common mode of expression, thus underlining not only the project's advanced technology, but also its close relationship with the production's theme, i.e. communication among different nations, cultures and religions.

CREDO, which, as part of the Cultura 2000 project, is supported by the

European Union, will be performed again in Karlsruhe on 2 May, 2004. In the summer of 2005 it will open the annual Istanbul International Music Festival and also will feature at the Queensland Music Festival in Brisbane, Australia.

The presentation will be transmitted live via Internet (www.fabrica.it/credo) in video and audio format the 30th April at 20.00 CET.

 

For further information:

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