Taking a bath in the Scheldt
How much toll at the port gate?
Do I sail on heroes?
Do we see more than just who surfaces?
Ryswyck is a pop concert in the setting of a lecture-performance. A compelling musical story, in which two Dutch makers try to get a grip on a complex and politicised theme: Flemish identity. Voices of contemporary activists and writers become melody lines, statements by politicians are set to beats. A search through dusty newspaper articles, furtive pornographic concoctions and out-of-control myths. A search for a new Scheldel Song.
Belgium 1830. After declaring independence, a storm of optimism and determination rages through Flanders. Artists, politicians, workers and homeless people unite to discuss the status quo of their territory. Spontaneously, alliances of citizens with a plan for the future emerge on the streets. Among them is Theodoor van Rijswijck. In 1841, he writes ‘Het Scheldelied’, which will be the forerunner of Flanders' official anthem, the Flemish Lion.
Ryswyck takes you to the early Flemish Movement. To the writing room of Theodore Van Rijswijck. To the back of his mind, the source of his activism. In Ryswyck, Teletext deconstructs this Flemish history: how did a cultural emancipation struggle develop into a political one? What significance did ‘Het Scheldelelied’ have as a symbol of this struggle? And what do we, current inhabitants of Flanders, catch with this song today?
In spring 2021, Teletext will launch the arts education package The Scheldt Battle For Dummies with music from the performance, video clips and interview clips with experts. This online package is offered as a stand-alone musical experience, but can also serve as an introduction to the performance or a workshop.
This performance was created in response to the two-year study (2019 and 2020) into the relevance of old Flemish folk music in new urban context for which Sascha and Leonore received a research grant from the Antwerp Conservatory of Music.
