In De Gezichten, Delle Donne Consort delves into the fragile inner world of a woman slowly unraveling. Inspired by Tove Ditlevsen’s novel The Faces (1968), the performance traces a descent into psychological disintegration, where perception fractures, identities shift, and the familiar takes on an unsettling, uncanny quality.

The performance was developed in close co-creation with composer Frederik Neyrinck, sound artist Maarten Buyl and the electropop duo Teletext (Leonore Spee and Sascha Bornkamp), alongside soprano Naomi Beeldens and recorder player Juho Myllylä. Bringing together recorders, voice, and live electronics, the group collectively shaped a shared sonic language in which each artistic voice remains distinctly present.

At the heart of the work lies a continuous process of transformation. Voice, recorder, and electronics merge, mirror, and distort one another, blurring the boundaries between human and instrument. Drawing on the recorder’s historical connection to the voice, this dialogue unfolds through text and subtle shifts in timbre, breath and texture. Each performer inhabits a fluid musical identity, moving between acoustic intimacy and electronic estrangement.

Through this collaborative process, an immersive and unstable sound world emerges, at once delicate and disquieting. Everyday sounds are reimagined, and the physical act of playing becomes audible and embodied, as if the performance itself were breathing.

De Gezichten unfolds as a continuous, undercurrent-driven journey in which inner and outer realities become increasingly indistinguishable, an experience that lingers just beneath the surface.

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With support of the Flemish Government (DCJM) & Sabam for culture

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