ADN – A Celestial Score

CREATION 2025

A behind-the-scenes look at the musical creation of a suspended show

In ADN – Vertical Odyssey, music doesn’t just accompany movement: it inspires it, structures it, and wraps around it. A true suspended electro-hip-hop opera, the soundtrack reflects the show’s architecture: monumental, hybrid, and immersive. Imagined and crafted four-handedly by Vanessa Hidden, singer, composer, and percussionist, and Yvan Talbot, composer, arranger, and musical director, the music of ADN fuses opera, electronic music, live percussion, polyphonies, and global vocal traditions. A rare musical alchemy born from the unlikely marriage of two radically different aesthetics.

Nothing predestined Vanessa Hidden, an opera singer and percussionist, and Yvan Talbot, composer and musical director, to work together. Their artistic worlds are vastly different—if not opposite. And yet, from the very first sessions, a creative dialogue began. On one side: stage energy rooted in the body, the voice, and percussive rhythm. On the other: thoughtful, digital, immersive musical writing.

Each artist opened their world to the other. “We worked like a creative ping-pong match, sending each other tracks, ideas, intentions,” they say. Some pieces were born from a rhythm, others from a word or a breath. One starts, the other responds. A four-handed composition, without hierarchy or fixed score.

Composing for a structure suspended 40 meters in the air

Composing for ADN is not only an artistic challenge: it’s an extraordinary technical one. The show takes place on a structure suspended 40 meters above the ground, inhabited by acrobats and musicians. The distances between performers, the height, sound delays, spatial effects—all of it requires a composition designed in three dimensions.

The music is broadcast both live and from a pre-recorded track, synchronized from the control room with surgical precision. Some sequences are performed directly on the structure, others from the ground. Everything must be tested, calibrated, readjusted. Nothing is left to chance—and yet, each performance retains an element of unpredictability, a breath, a margin for interpretation.

ADN, music to be lived

Beyond the technique, the music of ADN is made to be felt: deep bass that resonates in the belly, soaring high timbres, rhythms that invite dance and emotion. Even though the composition is written with extreme precision, it still leaves room for improvisation during live performances.

This subtle balance between rigor and freedom allows the musicians to bring a score to life that remains open and dynamic. Thus, the music of ADN reveals itself as a true sensory journey, where each vibration contributes to the overall experience.

A remarkable vocal score

One of the most striking aspects of ADN’s soundtrack is undoubtedly the richness of the voices involved. Far from being limited to a single style, the show features a polyphony of registers: opera singing, rap, and even vocal elements from traditions across the globe. This diversity allows for the telling of a story full of emotion, with the human voice as the bearer of a universal message.

The singers selected for the project can switch from one register to another with disarming ease. In seconds, a performance can shift from the softness of a whisper to the power of a lyrical crescendo, expressing the full complexity of the show’s emotional journey. Moreover, the use of multiple languages (French, English, German, Japanese, etc.) strengthens the multicultural and global aspect of the project, making the music of ADN a true ode to humanity and its diversity, in resonance with the myth of the Tower of Babel.

This vocal score is conceived as a collective journey, symbolizing ascent, storm, and reconciliation. It is a musical writing that, through its density and variety, invites the audience into total immersion in a story of transformation and hope.

Inspirations and intentions

The composition of ADN draws inspiration from universes as varied as they are contrasting. On one side, the dramatic and majestic intensity of opera; on the other, the raw power of electronic music and tribal rhythms. These influences combine to create a unique soundscape, capable of carrying the listener through different emotional dimensions.

For Yvan Talbot, composition is based on instinct and experimentation. “I work in the moment—I capture an emotion, a sound, and drop it into my samplers.” This process, combined with constant exchanges with Vanessa, made it possible to forge a piece that breaks the mold. The goal was clear: to offer music that speaks of elevation, of the collective, and of the strength of humanity, all in a universal and timeless language.

A dual-voiced work, for a plural humanity

ADN is much more than simple musical accompaniment; it’s the sonic signature of a show that pushes the boundaries of possibility. The union between Vanessa Hidden and Yvan Talbot gave birth to a bold score, rich with innovation, emotion, and diversity. Their collaboration embodies the very idea of a plural musical universe, capable of reflecting the richness and complexity of humankind.

Through this work, the music of ADN invites us to listen differently, to feel deeply, and to embrace the beauty of contrasts. It reflects a world in motion, a humanity in search of hope and renewal. Here, music becomes tactile—it resonates in the belly, lifts the soul, and gathers spectators in a powerful moment of communion.

So, ready to embark on this unique sonic journey?

Thanks to this finely tuned engineering, ADN is not just a technical feat, but also an immersive show ready to travel the world.

So, ready for vertigo?

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