Antigone, Fragments
Original music:
Brina Jež Brezavšček
Poems from the cycle of the same name:
Barbara Korun
Sound design:
Paul Clift
Direction:
Zala Sajko
Lighting and costume design:
Janja Korun
Soprano:
Rebeka Pregelj
Piano:
Neža Tovšak
Percussion:
Lola Mlačnik
Narrator:
Barbara Korun
Stage technician:
Matej Primec
Organized by:
Sozven, Association for Contemporary Music
Co-organizer:
Mini teater
Premiere:
24th September at 20:00
Contemporary music theatre performance
The project is supported by the City of Ljubljana, Department for Culture
About the performance
The text of Antigone, Fragments comprises eighteen fragments - lyric poems in the form of monologues - which are to be read on the background of Sophocles' Antigone. Spoken by selected characters (Antigone, Ismene, Haemon, Eurydice and the Chorus), they give voice to their experiences, feelings and reflections. This is a free reimagining that foregrounds a female perspective on the experience of violence, the shock of wartime catastrophe and personal tragedy. At the same time, the parallel moments of their everyday lives add an extra dimension. The fragments, or poems, do not seek to offer psychological explanations for the dramatic characters' actions. Rather, they form a tentative search for the inner and outer sources of strength that make meaningful, dignified survival possible. Paradoxically, the strength they seek is found precisely in powerlessness, in being lost, in tenderness and belonging - and, not least, in love.
The complete text of the poetic cycle is incorporated into the musical setting. The roles are not assigned to individual performers; instead, the performers appear in different combinations from one song to the next. Alongside their instrumental or vocal lines, all of them also take on the role of narrator through spoken text. Although the instrumental forces comprise only piano and percussion, they offer a broad palette of colour and expression, developed through elaborated individual sounds, lapidary economy, and a concentrated expressive potency. The percussion includes historical and folk instruments, which contribute to the desired expression their authentic and richer sound. The piano part includes colourful effects such as playing directly on the strings, clusters, and other extended techniques. The soundscape also incorporates field recordings, mostly from natural settings, which serve to broaden the sonic and narrational space.
