V01CES//B0D1EZ

»Composing is so chaotic, wild, and hard, a struggle that often pushes you to the limits of what is physically and psychologically bearable«, is how Hans Werner Henze, who died in 2012, once described his artistic craft. He would have turned 100 in 2026. Part of his groundbreaking and politically motivated work was the founding of the Munich Biennale, a festival for world premieres of new music theatre. In 2026, the festival will not only celebrate the 100th birthday of its founding father but also the 20th edition of the Munich Biennale, marking this double celebration with the music theatre piece »V01CES//B0D1EZ«, a composition and libretto commissioned by the City of Munich. Based on excerpts from Hans Werner Henze’s 1973 song cycle »Voices«, Thai composer Piyawat Louilarpprasert reflects in »R3SIST4NC3 B0D1EZ« on the invisible mechanisms of performance, production and repetition. »V01CES//B0D1EZ« explores the question: How are artistic processes and craftsmanship, resistance and exhaustion, breath and machine related? The musical encounter between the two composers results in a suspenseful musical theatre portrait about political and physical labour, ritualised activities and ongoing resistance.