Opus
Auditorio de Tenerife programmes two performances of Opus, a show by the Australian contemporary circus company Circa. Opus is a fusion of extreme acrobatics and lyrical movement set to one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, Dmitri Shostakóvich.
Opus is a work of astonishing power, virtuosity and poetry. Fourteen acrobats and a string quartet celebrate the music of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakóvich.
Shostakóvich’s quartets are by turns intimate, passionate, lyrical, ironic and deeply moving personal testimonies by one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers. In Opus, three of his quartets form the musical and dramatic spine of a red-hot fusion of extreme acrobatics, lyrical movement and group choreography.
Beginning with a solo performer suspended on a rope serenaded by musicians, Opus then moves powerfully through rapidly alternating scenes of dislocated stillness and violent explosions into extreme physicality to arrive at exquisitely detailed and nuanced geometries of acrobats flying, balancing and landing.
Opus explores the complex relationships between the individual and the group, between the march of history and what dictates the heart, and between the tragic and the comic. Opus is a melding of music and bodies at the highest level producing a groundbreaking work of intense power.
To date Opus has had 113 performances to over 80,000 people. It premiered on the 15th June 2013 in Lyon, France at the Odeon Festival. Since then, it has toured to France, Spain, Australia, Germany, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Greece, Canada, USA, Turkey, Hungary, Hong Kong and Mexico.
The soundtrack for the show is available on Circa’s Spotify channel.
Photos: ©Justin Nicholas
Created by Yaron Lifschitz with the Circa Ensemble and the Debussy Quartet
Director: Yaron Lifschitz
Producer: Danielle Kellie
Technical Director and Lighting Designer: Jason Organ
Costume Design: Libby McDonnell
Set Design: Yaron Lifschitz and Jason Organ
Debussy String Quartet: Christophe Collette, Marc Vieillefon, Vincent Deprecq and Cédric Conchon
Debussy Sound Engineer: Christophe Germanique
A Nuits de Fourvière production/ Département du Rhône, coproduced with Les Théâtres de la ville de Luxembourg, GREC Festival of Barcelona, Le Cirque-Théâtre d’Elbeuf, Dusseldorf Festival, Barbican Theatre, CACCV Espace Jean Legendre-Compiegne. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Brisbane Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Melbourne Festival. Circa acknowledges the assistance of the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. Quatuor Debussy acknowledge the support of the French Ministry of Arts, Région Rhône-Alpes, City of Lyon and SPEDIDAM.
"...an evening so remarkable as almost to defy description... extraordinarily moving.”
The Guardian, UK
"Opus is cut-glass, caviar circus. It's black tie and ball gown circus."
The Telegraph, UK
“an exceptional show in the history of circus”…a masterpiece of circus art."
La Press, Canada
“Opus is cut-glass, caviar circus. It’s black tie and ballgown circus.”
The Telegraph, UK
“We are clearly in the presence of greatness.”
Lyon Mag, France
”It is breathtaking, it is beautiful, it is epic.”
The Australian
“Can be described as none other than sublime... a monument, musically and choreographically.”
Les Echos, France
Show recommended for children over 12 years old.
Once the doors of the hall are closed for the start of the event, access to the hall will not be allowed.
Access is only allowed to children over five years of age.
For further information, please check the general purchase terms and hall conditions.
If you have any questions while purchasing your tickets, you can write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 922 568 625 from Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., except for public holidays.
