Silvia Costa's Hiérophanies at Festival d'automne

Silvia Costa staged Incantations at the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris on 19 September 2019 as part of the Festival d'automne. The concert featured Stèle by Gérard Grisey, Ofaním by Luciano Berio, and Hiérophanie by Claude Vivier, performed by the Ensemble intercontemporain and Maîtrise de Paris under Matthias Pintscher. Costa's mise en espace transformed the performance into a ritualistic revelation of the sacred, aligning with Vivier's concept of hierophany. She gave conductor Pintscher the role of Hades with a black headpiece, while soprano Marion Tassou evoked Persephone. Costa's approach draws from Marcel Duchamp's reconfiguration of objects and Henry Darger's mythological violence, creating a nomadic, symbolic theater. Her work Dans le pays de l'hiver, adapted from Cesare Pavese's Dialogues with Leucò, is touring Europe. Upcoming events include the exhibition Mes Témoins at Galerie La Rotonde Stalingrad (20-24 November 2019), Dans le pays d'hiver at Points communs (24-25 March 2020), and her debut opera staging of Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans at the Stuttgart Opera (22 March-15 April 2020). Costa also produces black-and-white drawings she calls 'witnesses,' influenced by Dino Buzzati and Enzo Cucchi.