The Sound of Absence at Omnibus Theatre 24 – 28th February follows one woman’s journey of self-discovery after the death of her father. Actor Yanina Hope is joined on stage by Vladyslav Kuznetsov whose piano music acts almost as another character. He tells us about the show www.omnibus-clapham.org/sound-of-absence/
- How did you begin translating Yanina’s journey into music without letting the score overwhelm the silence it comes from?
At first it wasn’t easy. Trying to tightly follow the script and match the text turned out to be an unworkable approach. The music became completely dependent, turning into a shadow of the text and that was exactly what didn’t suit us, because the idea of the performance lies elsewhere.
So we decided not to work under the text, but under the emotion, trying to express a specific emotional state or a particular stage of emotional development. In this way, everything began to sound in the right colours. At times it even felt as though the music didn’t correspond to the text, but it was precisely within this gentle disagreement that new and more interesting shades emerged which ultimately became a kind of discovery for this piece.
- Was there a moment when the piano started expressing what the text could no longer hold?
Yes, such moments definitely exist. From the very beginning, however, the concept of the music as an independent character in the play implied that it wouldn’t merely accompany the text but would express certain aspects and emotions on its own, not just complementing the text, but also adding new layers and reflections.
- Did any of your own relationship and experiences with your father shape the emotional language of the music?
No, I didn’t think about that at all. I didn’t associate the issues raised in the text specifically with my own father. Still, the theme of experiencing the loss of a person resonated with other people in my life, and that, of course, influenced the emotional tone of the music.
- In a piece so rooted in absence, how did you decide when music should enter—and when it should stay away?
In most cases, such compositional decisions come quite naturally, but the main point of reference is always the emotional state of the main character and the specific stage of her psychological journey. In some moments, the music needs to take on the leading role and describe the current state without words; in others, it’s important to give space to the text in order to emphasize its significance. Achieving a delicate interaction required searching for balance and experimenting with different solutions.
- Did composing this work change the way you think of your relationship with your own parents?
I can say for sure that, at the very least, working on this piece reminded me that no matter what parents are like, no matter what problems they may have, it’s important not to forget — and not to be afraid — to tell them that you love them, to do it now, and to cherish this opportunity while it still exists.
- What do you hope audiences carry with them from the music after the story ends?
Above all, I want the listener to travel this emotional path from the first note to the final chord – to realize something and to live through an entire story over the course of this hour-long performance. And I also hope that when leaving the theater, the listener feels something special, as if the music managed to reach their heart and touch it.