Is Muziektheater de kunstvorm van de 21e eeuw?

De rode draad in het festival­programma wordt dit jaar gevormd door muziektheater in al zijn verschijningsvormen: van 3d-film­opera (Sunken Garden) tot concertant oratorium (The Gospel According to the Other Mary), van tweemanskameropera (Quartett, Suster Bertken) tot veertigkoppig vocaal theater (When the mountain changed its clothing) en van muzikale graphic novel (Brooklyn Babylon) tot meta-opera (Tragedy of a Friendship).

Het lijkt erop dat het muziektheater in de 21e-eeuw uitbundiger en diverser bloeit dan ooit tevoren. Hoe komt dat? Sluit deze van nature multidisciplinaire kunstvorm het beste aan bij de multimediale wereld van vandaag? En hebben de traditionele ‘pure’ vormen zoals concertmuziek en teksttheater aan kracht verloren?
 

The many faces of music theatre are very much present in this year’s festival programme: from 3d film opera (Sunken Garden) to concertante oratorio (The Gospel According to the Other Mary), from two-hander opera (Quartett, Suster Bertken) to vocal theatre with a 40-strong choir (When the mountain changed its clothing) and from musical graphic novel (Brooklyn Babylon) to meta-opera (Tragedy of a Friendship).

It appears that music theatre in the 21st century is more alive and more varied than ever before. How has this come about? Is it because this multidisciplinary art form fits in best with our modern multi-media world? And, have traditional ‘pure’ forms such as concert music and text-based theatre lost their impact?