Bartabas is best known as the founder of the Théâtre Equestre Zingaro, and the Versailles academy of equestrian performing arts. His latest show, both as director and performer, transforms Rouen's abbey church of Saint-Ouen into a vast arena for an exceptional equestrian ballet.
The church's great organ pipes provide the backdrop and music, with works by Bach, Prokofiev, Messiaen and others, played by organist Vincent Duboi. Completing the performance trio is Basque singer Beñat Achiary, his voice echoing the sound and feel of horses galloping like the wind. The result is Liturgie équestre, a liturgy of music, horsemanship and dance: three disciplines co-existing in harmony, saluted and supported by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès.
This magnificent spectacle launched the fourth Festival Automne en Normandie: fifty events in thirty venues, embracing music, theater and dance. A five-week celebration dedicated to breaking down the barriers between artistic disciplines, through the work of some of today's greatest performing artists.
