Reinier Baas - Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix (2016)

‘Discombobulatrix’ is a mostly instrumental, partly improvised surrealist opera in three acts, masterfully illustrated by Amsterdam based comic artist Typex. The story revolves around ‘Princess Discombobulatrix’, a highly confusing figure, ‘The Duke of Waalwijk’ and ‘The General’, who attempt to woo the Princess desperately, and a shapeshifter called ‘The Enormous Wizard Zendor’. It’s not long before the events turn into a tragedy, in which all the characters die a bizarre and violent death.

Soprano Nora Fischer plays the role of ‘Princess Discombobulatrix’ (sporadically), while the rest of the line-up is comprised of the creme de la creme of the Dutch jazz scene, with among others Joris Roelofs, Ben van Gelder and Martijn Vink. The musicians are pushed to their limits by Baas’ happily deranged eclectic melting pot: they play with ‘classical’ precision, improvise parts of the music on the spot and go back and forth between highly danceable post-punk and Wagner-like ballades.

‘Reinier Baas vs. Princess Discombobulatrix’ is released in September 2016 as a tin box with a CD, download card + comic book, postcard series and poster by Typex. For the album, the line-up is extended with strings, woodwinds and french horn.