Lustful Songs at the Southbank Centre

Lustful Songs at the Southbank Centre
On November 19 2012, the Queen Elizabeth Hall will host a concert entitled 'Exstatica', which will include the work Lustful Songs - I Sonetti Lussuriosi by Michael Nyman.

Lustful Songs started as sixteen drawings by Giulio Romano, engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi. Although these drawings were in the 'antique' style, they were still sexually explicit. In 1525, Pietro Aretino obtained the released of Raimondi from prison, and chose to compose sixteen sonnets to accompany the engravings. Aretino purposefully followed a precise linguistic programme, determined that the language should descrive reality rather than disguise it. It was 8 of these 16 sonnets that Nyman used as the text for his I Sonetti Lussuriosi.

This work will be performed by Marie Angel, who premiered the work, and was the singer for the commercial recording in 2008. Nyman reveals that "the initial decision to ask Marie Angel to sing both male and female roles was crucial in my attempt to dramatise and create as much variety as possible out of these repetitive dialogues". The work will be sung in the original Italian, with the English translation available only to those who would like it. BUY THE CD HERE

This event contains sexually explicit material and is suitable for audiences aged 18+

Programme

Michael Torke Ecstatis orange
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
INTERVAL
Michael Nyman 8 Lust Songs
Pet Shop Boys I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing arr. Richard Niles

Mon. November 19 2012, Queen Elizabeth Hall (South Bank Centre) 7.30pm BOOK NOW

BBC Concert Orchestra
Keith Lockhart conductor
Marie Angel soprano
Kate Winter vocals
Christopher Cook presenter

Related News