The Terrestrial Verses (2026-27)

A sound drama for voice and live electronics, inspired by the writings of Forough Farrokhzâd, composed by Sébastien Béranger, conceived and performed by Brigitte Cirla and Sébastien Béranger

‘The Terrestrial Verses’ is a musical and theatrical production that brings together the voice, live electronic music and the poetry of Forough Farrokhzâd, a leading figure in Iranian literature and a symbol of women’s emancipation. The show presents a soundscape in which the spoken, sung, chanted or whispered voice blends with real-time electronic transformations. An electric guitar, a true partner on stage, acts as the interface between the two artists.

*The Terrestrial Verses*, a long lyrical poem brimming with striking imagery, like a chant or a mysterious prophecy, serves as the pretext for an adventurous and semi-improvised dialogue between an electro-acoustic composer/musician and a singer/actress. The poem, taken from the collection *Une autre naissance*, creates a space where the female voice — all too often rendered invisible — regains its power, visibility and embodiment.

A real-time augmented performance, a hybrid musical composition, an interdisciplinary form

Artistic intentions: a vibrant soundscape

To highlight women’s voices: those of Forough Farrokhzâd, but also those of forgotten female composers from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as Maddalena Casulana and Barbara Strozzi.To create a poetic mirror between early madrigals and contemporary Iranian poetry, drawing on electroacoustic composition and real-time transformation.
To explore the boundaries between theatre, music, improvisation and technology.
To create a staged translation of words: sonic, visual and multilingual (Farsi, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish).
To examine the relationship between the living and the machine, building on the previous duo ‘Recettes Immorales’.

Poetry:

Forough Farrokhzâd was an icon of 20th-century Iranian poetry. She was a leading figure in the cause of women’s emancipation. Born on 29 December 1934 in Tehran and died on 13 February 1967 in the same city, Forough Farrokhzâd was an Iranian poet and film-maker. She was the author of five collections of poetry, as well as a highly acclaimed documentary.

Madrigals :

are here a source of inspiration for research through electroacoustics. The composers Maddalena Casulana (1544-1590), first woman to publish her music in 1568 and Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) were recognized during their lifetimes, but they have been erased from the history of music.

Different practices, a common approach

Sébastien Béranger

A multifaceted composer multiplying musical approaches, Sébastien Béranger develops his musical explorations between writing instrumental scores and improvising in live electronic. In the manner of a sculptor, he works on space as a metaphorical representation of different musical scales.
Since 2019, Sébastien Béranger has dedicated himself to his company: Diƒƒƒusion, which works on hybrid artistic proposals at the crossroads of mediation, new technologies, and live performance. The aim is to offer new forms of concerts that incorporate mediation and a playful approach to musical content. Sébastien Béranger mainly aims at the general public and new places, notably to open contemporary musical creation to new listeners.

https://sebastien-beranger.com/

Brigitte Cirla

first trained as a pianist, then a singer/actress within among others the Théâtre du Lierre. In 1991, she founded Voix Polyphoniques, with whom she created and toured about twenty shows around the world while remaining anchored in Marseille. Versatile performer, she plays major roles such as Medea, Cassandra, Marguerite or Antébeia, and collaborates with international ensembles, notably Balinese. She writes most of her company’s shows and develops musical forms for public space.
Passionate about transmission, she leads singing, theater and musical theater workshops. Committed to the visibility of women artists, she is co-founder of the international network The Magdalena Project, created in 1986, of which she is today a determined activist.

www.voixpolyphoniques.org