Michel van der Aa

Here Triology

Van der Aa's work is the musical counterpart to M.C. Escher's perspective suggestions and manipulations - his acoustic distortion creates a similar picture puzzle. The Here Trilogy creates musical tension by the audible breakdown of the music itself. Here the musical present (live) collides with the past (soundtrack). The breakdown of the musical progress leads to feelings of numbness, alienation and split personality. Thematically, the cycle is related to van der Aa's chamber opera One (2002). In One an anonymous female character (soprano) starts looking for her inner self and has a discussion with her alter ego on video. The Here Trilogy is one of van der Aa's most frequently performed works.