The Macao Cultural Centre, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, presents Songs of Lear an alternative adaptation of King Lear, to be staged by Polish company Song of the Goat on September 10, at the Grand Auditorium.
Set to spells of Gregorian chants and Biblical psalms, Songs of Lear is a sonic version of Shakespeare’s iconic play directed by the company’s co-founder Grzegorz Bral. The show runs a rich thread of varied sounds stemming from twelve original songs, conceived by Polish multi-instrumentalist Maciej Rychły and Corsican composer Jean-Claude Acquaviva. Punctuated by blasts of intense percussion, the performance is accompanied by the strings of an occasional steely violin, the exoticism of the Indian harmonium and the African lute (kora).
Eleven performers will sing and move over selected plot points from the original play, masterfully interpreted on a minimalist setting, expanding the Shakespearian tragedy’s significance onto the contemporary world.
Songs of the Goat Theatre was founded in 1996 in Wroclaw, Poland, by Grzegorz Bral and Anna Zubrzycki. Since then, the experimental troupe expanded its international reputation to become one of Europe’s most exciting, avant-garde theatre companies. Songs of Lear has drawn “euphoric reviews” at Edinburgh in 2012, having conquered other European stages in various tours. The company’s polyphonic spell was also cast across the Atlantic at renowned festivals such as New York’s Next Wave and Chile’s Santiago a Mil.
For those who wish to find more about Songs of Lear, there will be a free admission pre-show talk. Presented in Cantonese, the session takes place at CCM’s Conference Room one hour prior to the performance where insightful views on the music, theatre and background of the performing group will be shared.
CCM is presenting Songs of Lear on September 10, 2017 (Sunday). Tickets will be available from July 9 at CCM’s box office and Macao Ticketing Network outlets at various prices and discounts. For further information on promotional offers and ticketing, please visit www.ccm.gov.mo or call (853) 2870 0699. Credit card ticketing hotline (853) 2840 0555.