Balsam

Zefiro Torna and the theatre company Laika have created the unique performance BALSAM - a mix of music and sensory experiences.

Imagine a concert you can hear, see, taste and smell. That's exactly what you can expect from the unique performance BALSAM, where sensory and visual impressions are combined in a unique concert experience. Theatre company Laika and music ensemble Zefiro Torna invite you into a magical laboratory, where alchemists perform experiments while an exquisite collection of beautiful polyphonic tones fills the air. The audience gets to taste unexpected delicacies and become part of a sensory journey unlike any other.

In this performance, BALSAM represents a healing and sensual experience, just like a balm that soothes and cares. The word symbolises the fusion of music, scents, flavours and visual impressions that touch the audience on a deeper level, creating a sense of calm, comfort and renewal - an ode to the power of nature and the mysteries of life.

Music as a starting point

The music in BALSAM is a rich mix of vocal and instrumental compositions with titles such as ‘Alchemilla’, ‘Artemisia absinthium’ and ‘Les Roses de Saadi’, which refer to the healing, stimulating and enchanting properties of herbs. The lyrics draw inspiration from biblical verses, poems by great writers such as Virgil and Baudelaire, and poetry that explores themes such as love, longing, grief and the beauty of nature.

This musical journey includes traditional songs from Portugal, Greece and Iceland, mystical sounds from the works of Hildegard von Bingen, as well as polyphonic compositions from the 15th century. The music creates a daydreaming universe, a tribute to life, the secrets of nature and the spiritual connections that bind us together.

The performance takes the audience into an alchemical laboratory, where the musicians and spectators sit in a special formation that symbolises the five elements. As the music plays, the audience witnesses various experiments where ingredients are transformed through alchemical processes.

Alchemical magic

With the music as a backdrop, the audience witnesses all kinds of experiments where ingredients are transformed into something else using alchemical processes such as dissolution, fermentation, distillation and the like. Liquids turn into solids, wet into dry, cold into hot and vice versa. Oil solidifies and turns into edible pearls, a bud gives an electric sensation, a mineral turns out to be a sweet treat.

The result of this visual spectacle is a sensory experience of balms, powders, drinks and canapes in all smells, colours and flavours, served to the audience by the performers and shared with those sitting next to you.

Get a taste of BALSAM here: