Alban Richard / CCN de Caen en Normandie Come Kiss Me Now

Averse to any categorization, Alban Richard has built up a protean style of choreography characterized by a relentless desire to experiment and a constant dialogue with the world of music creation, from early music to techno to contemporary music.

The inspiration behind Come Kiss Me Now – a recent work – is the famous treatise The Anatomy of Melancholy by Richard Burton (published in 1621 and frequently republished since then) which drove Alban Richard to invent dances that resonated with the book.

Structured around a “reflection on our relationship to death, the fragility and precariousness of life”, according to the choreographer, the piece approaches melancholy in various forms. Each of the five successive portraits/scenes that it comprises have their own scenic arrangement and aesthetics, and the dazzlingly sophisticated and whimsical costumes deserve special mention.

These tableaux undoubtedly come alive through the palpable engagement of the performers, including the magnificent dancers Chihiro Araki and Alice Lada, the outstanding soprano Céline Sheen (who sings baroque and 1980s new wave hits like “Fade To Grey” and “Tainted Love” equally well), the sizzling beatboxer Ezra, the viola de gamba trio L’Achéron and Alban Richard himself, shaken to the core.

Traveling through time periods (from the 15th century to the near future), and mixing up the genres (dance, recital, musical theater, etc) fluidly, the ensemble reflects melancholy – this black sun that darkens the soul as much as it illuminates it – into a very singular beam of subtly glittering variations. 
 

Jérôme Provençal

Lire l'article de Delphine Baffour dans la terrasse, oct.23

Un spectacle très étonnant, déployant une archéologie de la sensibilité autour d'une multiplicité d'univers musicaux, poétiques et chorégraphiques. 
Delphine Goater, Res Musica

Alban Richard a tenté avec Come Kiss Me Now une sorte de spectacle musical total dépassant la seule chorégraphie, plutôt bien réussi dans l'ensemble. Surprenant, intrigant et chatoyant. 
Alain Lambert, musicologie.org