The two parts of Lost Circles ("In the burrow", and "Ana Andromeda") result as a pair of contrast, pointing toward different directions, downward and upward, inward and outward, toward the dark, and toward the light. These artistically highly inspiring and proliferous opposites, to some extent, try to indicate the range of the topic of the Lucerne Festival 2012 “Glaube” (”Faith”). Today we are, on the one hand, confronted with the phenomenon of an increasingly individualised attitude toward a strict profession of faith. On the other hand, we are still confronted with globally and politically unsettling points of friction sparked off by certain perceptions and traditions of faith collectively experienced (and proclaimed). It is this area of tension where we perceive the present, second music theatre project of æquatuor situated.
In 2003, Sylvia Nopper, Matthias Arter, Tobias Moster, and Ingrid Karlen, four musicians specialised in contemporary music, for the first time entered the theatrical stage with “Schattenrisse” – giving the first performance at the Lucerne Festival already then. Like then, we now decided to work together with two composers (Michel Roth and Alfred Zimmerlin) and have the scenic realisation (Georges Delnon) integrated into the project right from the start. With regard to sound, both composers will open up new scopes for the voice as well as the instruments (oboe, cello, piano): first, by exploring and depicting inner spaces (sound design: Ueli Würth) and, secondly, by multiplying them electronically.
The first performance of “Lost circles” will take place at the Lucerne Festival 2012. The stage setting will be easily movable; after perfor- mances at the Basel Theater, we plan to give further guest performances in various European cities.

Matthias Arter
Artistic director
requests: matthias@aequatuor.ch