Ergodos presents Two Operas on 24-25 August 2012
Two new operas by the Irish composers Benedict Schlepper-Connolly and Garrett Sholdice — performed back-to-back on each night — combine music, film and dance to create an experience of feeling and atmosphere. Their idea of opera is a truly contemporary one: minimal, intuitive, immersive.
Benedict Schlepper-Connolly's Heimat, which features the choreographer and dancer Liv O’Donoghue, focuses on the experience of modern-day nomads — the emigrant, the drifter, the commuter. Fast and loud, the performance layers interviews, film and song to reveal ideas about rootedness and belonging.
Garrett Sholdice's Recueillement, as the French title intimates, is a more gentle, contemplative piece, with choreography by Silja Thomsen, film by Krishan Hukam and the mezzo-soprano Michelle O’Rourke. Imagine dusk, two women, the ritual of Javanese gamelan music, the yearning words of Charles Baudelaire, a sense of changing light.
Performances come from the Irish mezzo-soprano Michelle O’Rourke and Ergodos Musicians, a flexible ensemble of instruments and voices, including some of Ireland's most brilliant performers, in this case the cellist Kate Ellis, and the New York-based pianist Isabelle O'Connell. Ergodos Musicians’ performances are outstanding for their subtlety, attention to detail, and innovative approaches to programming.
Two Operas launch will take place at the Odessa Club in Dublin on 2 August at 6pm, with preview performances of Heimat and Recueillement given by Kate Ellis.
The performances take place on 24 and 25 August 2012 at the Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Tickets: full price €25/ concession €20/ earlybird tickets - book before 15 August and save 25%.
Listen to an interview, recorded on 27 July 2012, with Benedict Schlepper-Connolly about the project.
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