Description

The Kimya and Emmanuelle Cordoliani Ensemble: Concert, Storytelling, Music from Iran<div> One day, the king of kings decided to have the palace of palaces built for him by the architect of architects. But a few days before the inauguration, the architect disappeared, leaving the palace and the king in disarray.</div><div><br></div><div> Born from the encounter between storyteller Emmanuelle Cordoliani and the Kimya ensemble, this free adaptation of Reza Ghassemi's architect's dilemma forms a musical tale where the music does not simply accompany the story, but is an integral part of the story, seeking different forms of resonance and interaction with the text.</div><div><br></div><div> Based on Emmanuelle's text, the Kimya ensemble deploys its unique sound material (contemporary creations from European, Iranian and Indian classical music).</div><div><br></div><div> The Kimya ensemble takes its name from the Arabic word for alchemy. Composed of four musicians from diverse backgrounds, it extends the metaphor of the alchemist who once sought the alloy of metals to obtain gold, through music made of transfigured sounds, encounters and journeys around the world.</div><div> It is their shared desire to cultivate their classical musical roots while combining it with their thirst for exploring distant sonic landscapes that gave rise to this project, into which Emmanuelle Cordoliani has now joined. It complements the ensemble's artistic vision, in which they have been exploring the rich sounds of Iranian and Indian music for the past six years, always accompanied by undeniably talented and inspiring artists. Their desire to tell a story of the world became clear to them alongside Emmanuelle.</div><div><br></div><div> Emmanuelle Cordoliani is a director, playwright, and librettist. Trained at the Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art dramatique in Paris, she joined the Institut Nomade de la Mise en Scène before turning her attention to opera. There, she develops unconventional projects, blending text and music, within her company Café Europa.</div><div> She teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, at the Académie du Festival d'Aix-en-Provence and regularly participates in cultural mediation (Ensemble intercontemporain, Orchestre de Paris).</div><div> Winner of the 2012 Beaumarchais-SACD Grant for The Girl Without Hands, she writes libretti—primarily for young audiences—in collaboration with several composers. Since 2015, she has led the group Une certaine dose de poésie (A Certain Dose of Poetry).</div>