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Fenella Humphreys violin
Deborah Calland trumpet Kyle Horch saxophone Counterpoise. An ensemble of some of the most sought-after instrumentalists in the UK, founded with the aim of crossing genres, exploring the relationship between music, text and visuals, and seeking to develop aspects of narrative and other extra-musical influences. We are delighted to be working with three outstanding pianists in various projects over the coming year: Sebastian Wybrew, Yshani Perinpanayagam and Russell Hepplewhite. Our current and forthcoming projects include the following: Kokoschka's Doll/The Art of Love: Alma Mahler's Life and Music
Kokoschka's Doll, featuring Sir John Tomlinson, Rozanna Madylus and Counterpoise, has been acclaimed at venues up and down the country. Telling the story of the tempestuous affair of Oskar Kokoschka and Alma Mahler, the score weaves poetic and epistolary texts by Kokoschka into a musical fabric that references fin-de-siècle Vienna (including the music of Wagner and Alma Mahler) while being of our own time. Kokoschka's Doll is complemented by a sequence of music and text, featuring the work of Gustav and Alma Mahler, Wagner and Zemlinsky, under the title The Art of Love: Alma Mahler's Life and Music.
The Shackled King/Brünnhilde's Dream
The other half of the programme is a sequence of words and music entitled Brünnhilde's Dream, imagining the state of mind of Wotan's favourite Valkyrie daughter as she lies on the rock, surrounded by fire, after the end of Die Walküre. Music by Wagner, Fanny Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Zemlinsky, Berg, Szymanowski, Henze and Johanna Müller-Hermann.
Medea's Cell/The Story of Jenny
Keith Warner, one of the leading opera directors of the day, joins forces with David Blake, composer of Toussaint (ENO, 1977) and other well-received works of music theatre. Medea's Cell is complemented by a monodrama telling the story of Jenny, the protagonist of several Brecht/Weill songs. The sequence includes Alabama Song, Speak Low, My Ship and Surabaya Johnny, with linking text by Barry Millington. Rags to Riches
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