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Descent
BSN 3975867
The internet is a maze; the web is a more than satisfactory definition. It can snare any lost soul that deems to get lost in it’s electronic labyrinth of information, half-truths and conspiracy.
Opera is a strange beast; only slightly stranger than theatre. I have always felt that the only thing stranger
than someone pretending to be someone else on stage – is to be someone else and sing at the same time.
Finding someone or something on the internet that sings is not as strange as some of the things that can be found there – information is an apple that comes with a price.
When I first got the idea for Descent – the title came midway through writing the work, a very unusual occurrence for me – I could not sleep for three nights. The news was awash with the sadness and tradgedy that sell newspapers – children missing, the threat of a war that had probably already begun in the minds of leaders, more violence.
I needed a libretto that understood this sadness. After reading her second collection of poetry published by Bloodaxe, and an initial meeting that turned into a long conversation about the history of serial killers I knew that Dundee poet Tracey Herd was the perfect collaborator.
Lilith in olden times was thought to create epilepsy in children.
Instrumentation
flute(db alto)/oboe(db. cor anglais)/percussion/guitar(db.12 string)/violin/cello/filmed actor/soprano/tenor
First Performance
Paragon Ensemble CCA Glasgow Oct 2005