“… a revolution in the spectacle of circus.”- Les Echos, France
Opus is a work of stunning power, virtuosity and poetry.
Fourteen acrobats and a string quartet celebrate the music of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
Shostakovich’s quartets are by turns intimate, passionate, lyrical, ironic and deeply moving personal testimonies by one of the 20th Century’s greatest composers. In Opus, three of his quartets form the musical and dramatic spine of a red-hot fusion of extreme acrobatics, lyrical movement and group choreography.
Opus begins from a solo performer suspended on a rope serenaded by musicians, then moves through rapidly alternating scenes of dislocated stillness and violent explosions into geometries of acrobats intersected by extreme physicality to arrive at exquisitely detailed and nuanced choreographies of acrobats flying, balancing and landing.
Opus explores the complex relationships between the individual and the group, between the march of history and the dictates of the heart and between the tragic and the comic. This is groundbreaking work of intense power. A melding of music and bodies at the highest level.
About
World Premiere Lyon, France 2013
Performers 18 (10 acrobats, 4 musicians)
Duration 85 minutes
Reviews
★★★★★ “…an evening so remarkable as almost to defy description… extraordinarily moving.”– The Guardian, UK // View
”It is breathtaking, it is beautiful, it is epic.”– The Australian, AUS | View
“A spectacle not to be missed under any circumstances.”– Lyon Magazine, France | View
an exceptional show in the history of circus… a masterpiece of circus art.”- La Presse, Canada | View
“…a work of extraordinary strength, virtuosity and poetry.” – Ysarka, Spain | View
Acknowledgments
A Nuits de Fourvière production/ Département du Rhône, coproduced with Les Théâtres de la ville de Luxembourg, GREC Festival of Barcelona, Le Cirque-Théâtre d’Elbeuf, Dusseldorf Festival, Barbican Theatre, CACCV Espace Jean Legendre-Compiegne. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Brisbane Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Festival.
Director Yaron Lifschitz
Technical Director/Lighting Designer Jason Organ
Costume Design Libby McDonnell
Set Design Yaron Lifschitz and Jason Organ
Debussy Sound Engineer Christophe Germanique
Producer Danielle Kellie
International Representation
Allen Moon / David Lieberman Artists’ Representatives USA, Canada, Central & South America
Antonin Coutouly / Book Your Show France
Danielle Kellie / Circa Australia & New Zealand
Shaun Comerford / Circa Commercial Projects
Wolfgang Hoffmann / Aurora Nova Worldwide booking & coordination
Yaron Lifschitz / Circa New creations & big dreams
Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project has been assisted by the Australian government through the Ministry for the Arts’ Catalyst—Australian Arts and Culture Fund. Quatuor Debussy acknowledge the support of the French Ministry of Arts, Région Rhône-Alpes, City of Lyon and SPEDIDAM
Tour Dates
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 25th March 2025 | Charleston, South Carolina, USA | Gaillard Center |
| 28th March 2025 | Blacksburg, Virgina, USA | Moss Arts Center |
| 6th April 2025 | Davis, California, USA | Mondavi Center |
| 12th April 2025 | Tuscon, Arizona, USA | Arizona Arts Live |
Past Dates
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 25th April 2018 | Iowa, USA | Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa |
| 28th April 2018 | Vancouver, Canada | Chan Centre, University of British Columbia |
| 5th May 2018 | Ottawa, Canada | National Arts Centre |
| 18th May 2018 | Pamplona, Spain | Pamplona Baluarte |
| 19th - 20th May 2018 | Bilbao, Spain | Teatro Arriaga Antzokia |
| 22nd May 2018 | Valladolid, Spain | Teatro Calderón de Valladolid |
| 25th - 26th May 2018 | Barcelona, Spain | Teatre Lliure de Barcelona |
| 12th May 2019 | Paris, France | Grande salle Pierre Boulez - Philharmonie |
| 17th - 19th May 2019 | Guadalajara, Mexico | Festival de Mayo - Teatro Degollado |