VERONIKA
Music from the contemporary dance performance "Veronika Decides..."
Inspired by Paulo Coelho's novel "Veronika Decides To Die"
Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana
Release date: March 17th 2005
Produced by Silence

1. Lagrimae
2. Respirator Dance
3. Veronika Decides To Die
4. Vitriol
5. Uccello's Clock
6. Both Feet In Hell
7. Present, Unexistent
8. Veronika
9. The Well Of Madness
10. Playing For Edvard
11. An Impossible Love
12. Veronika - End Score

Listen to: Respirator Dance


"If Veronika would've heard this soundtrack, she might have decided to... dance"
Maja Pertic, Primorske novice
"Top class and virtuosic"
Rok Vevar, Delo

In July 2004, Silence were approached by Gagik Ismailian, the renowned Portoguese choreographer, and asked to write the soundtrack for his new project - a contemporary dance performance based on Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel Veronika Decides To Die.

The novel focuses on Veronika, a young woman from Ljubljana (the capital of Silence's homeland, Slovenia) who, in the words of Gagik Ismailian: "seems to have everything she could wish for. She goes to popular night spots, she meets and dates attractive young men and yet she's not happy. Something is missing in her life. That's why, in the morning of November 11th, 1997, Veronika decides to die. After taking an overdose Veronika is told she has only a few days to live…

The story follows Veronika through these intense days as, to her surprise, she finds
herself drawn into the enclosed world of the local hospital where she is staying. In this elevated state she discovers things she has never really allowed herself to feel before: hatred, fear, curiosity, love – even sexual awakening. Gradually, her experiences lead her to realize that every second of her existence is a choice between living and dying. Paulo Coelho's new book is about those who do not fit into patterns considered normal by the society. It is about madness and the need to find an alternative way of living for people who frequently have to face other people's prejudices just because they think in a different way."


photo: Roberto Kusterle

The performance, produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, occupied most of Silence's time during the following nine months. Epic in scale (22 international dancers, lavish costumes designed by Alan Hranitelj, a refined set design conceived by Matej Filipcic...), the performance required 80 minutes of original music that ranged from intimate miniatures to complex orchestral compositions.

As Veronika Decides... is first of all a dance performance, Ismailian required music with a strong emphasis on rythm. The soundtrack is therefore based on intense electronic beats and rough, unrelenting synthesizer sounds that are contrasted by lyrical strings and pianos. In order to underline the universality of Veronika's predicament, Silence decided to record all the vocals in an imaginary language composed of words taken from various (living and dead) languages. The soundtrack was written, produced, recorded and mixed between July 2004 and March 2005 in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl studio.

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