Geweld en Vibrato is an unconventional opera about colonialism, the extreme violence during the “police actions” and transgressive vibrato, for 1 singing actor, 1 soprano, 3 strings, 3 percussionists, live electronics and radio and insect sounds.

Composer Huba de Graaff found letters and photos of her maternal uncle who fought in Indonesia for the Dutch army in her parents’ estate. In sharp contrast are all the documents she found from her paternal Indo grandfather. He appeared to have been friends with members of the Indonesian anti-colonial resistance. De Graaff is the living product of two families, embodying the two sides of this colonial war. In response to these discoveries, De Graaff creates a performance as only she can: an unorthodox opera in which she turns the genre inside out. With original radio speeches guiding the historical narrative. The phenomenon of “vibrato” becomes a metaphor for the violence of Western expansionism: an overwhelming and forced operatic vibrato.

Read the libretto beforehand here.

Wereldmuseum X O.
On Sunday 19 May, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam is organising a guided tour of the temporary exhibition Kolonialisme en Rotterdam (Colonialism and Rotterdam), especially for visitors of Geweld & Vibrato. Times: 11.30h, 13.00h or 14.30h, duration of tour: 60 min, price: €8 (On presentation of your O. ticket for Geweld & Vibrato). Click here to buy a ticket for one of the tours.

It is also possible to visit the Wereldmuseum and its exhibitions independently with 50% discount until 3 November 2024, on presentation of your O. ticket for Geweld & Vibrato.

Introduction Geweld & Vibrato: Thursday 23 May – 7:30pm
Before the performance on 23 May, programme director Eva Verboon will have a conversation with Wereldmuseum Rotterdam exhibition maker Maria Rey-Lamslag. A conversation about how, as a maker, you deal with still existing skewed power relations from the colonial past and the gaze with which you work.