''Het Rattenkasteel'' ("The Rat's Castle") was a 1984 opera adaptation of the comic book album ''

Het Rattenkasteel Het Rattenkasteel ("The Rat's Castle") is a 1948 comic book album in the Belgian comics series ''The Adventures of Nero'' by Marc Sleen. It's the fourth album in the series and acclaimed as one of Sleen's best. In the 2000s the story was collec ...

'' from '' The Adventures of Nero'' series by

Marc Sleen Marcel Honoree Nestor ( ridder) Neels (30 December 1922 – 6 November 2016), known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian cartoonist. He was mostly known for his comic '' The Adventures of Nero and Co.'', but also created gag comics like '' Piet Fluwijn ...

. It was directed by Arne Sierens, composed by

Johan De Smet Johan * Johan (given name) * Johan (film), ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** Johan (album), ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunav ...

and under musical direction of

Vincent D'Hondt Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists * Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

. The work was performed by the theatre group "De Sluipende Armoede" and actors such as Marc van Malderen,

Guido Naessens Guido is a given name Latinisation of names, Latinised from the Old High German name Wido. It originated in Medieval Italy. Guido later became a male first name in Austria, Germany, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal, Latin America an ...

, Lieven Deroo, Martien De Craene, and others. The masks and costumes were provided by Erik De Volder. The stage was designed by Bert Vervaet.

History

The idea to adapt an album of '' The Adventures of Nero'' for opera came about when Sierens and De Smet were having a drink. They decide to create it in four months time, much like

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

used to do, and, inspired by a manifest by

George Antheil George Johann Carl Antheil (; July 8, 1900 – February 12, 1959) was an American avant-garde composer, pianist, author, and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the modern sounds – musical, industrial, and mechanical – of t ...

, decided to keep it short and simple. Sierens wrote the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

in four weeks time. The rehearsals started while De Smet was still composing the score. The entire ouverture was completed at the night of the final rehearsal.

created the poster. The work was performed in an

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

style, complete with percussion and diamond blades as musical accompaniment. The arias were pastiches of various musical styles, including film music, schlager, rock music and traditional African music. It opened on 14 July 1984 and had two extra performances on 20 and 21 July that year. The general public enjoyed it, but professional critics disliked it and compared it to a school play.

Cast

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

: Marc Van Malderen *

Detective Van Zwam Detective Van Zwam is a Flemish comics character in the Belgian comics series ''The Adventures of Nero'' by Marc Sleen. He is a brilliant detective and able to find clues from even the tiniest of evidence. Van Zwam was originally the main protag ...

: Lieven De Roo * Madame Blanche: Martien De Craene * Dr. Ratsjenko:

* Minor roles: Greet Devos, Simon André, Danny Galle, Dirk Opstaele, Ann Bellemans and Brigitte Louveaux.

References in ''Nero''

referenced the opera in '' The Adventures of Nero'' story "Het Achtste Wereldwonder" ("The Eighth Wonder of the World") (1995–1996), where in strip 91 mention is made of a gang who call themselves "De Sluipende Armoede", which was the name of Sierens' theatre company.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rattenkasteel, Het Dutch-language operas 1984 operas Opéras comiques Minimalist operas Operas set in Belgium Operas based on comics The Adventures of Nero Operas