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James Chute: Experimental Opera Series At Space 4 Art_ PAST PERFORMANCES2 / 8 / 14 - 8pm
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"Trying to die convincingly whilst negotiating the least amount of double-chin possible is hard. #operasingerproblems"
Through a multi-media work and live operatic performance this production explores opera's archetypal hysterical woman and the genre's culture of perpetuating the representation as beautiful madness. Video Piece: Ottavia's Lament Micki Davis, video artist Joe Cantrell, sound design Leslie Ann Leytham, mezzo-soprano Ottavia's Lament, "Disprezzata Regina" from L'incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi will be stripped down to its basic phonemes, building sound worlds around them and pairing them with footage of operatic postures/gestures that have come to convey "hysteria" or "desperation" in female characters. Opera: Erwartung und Traumverlust by Martin Hiendl Leslie Leytham, mezzo-soprano This opera is based on the short story Kesa and Morito by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, written in 1918 (and later adapted for film by Akiro Kurosawa as Roshomon). The story outlines a fatalistic relationship between Kesa and Morito, who, unable to live out their love, fall into perversity, extreme violation, and humiliation. This wordless piece for solo voice and electronics came about through an intensive collaboration process between Leslie Leytham and Martin Hiendl. Through non-verbal utterances, Hiendl forces the singer to explore emotional depths that render the performer physically and psychologically exhausted. 11 / 1 / 13 - 8pm
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