 Image © Francesca Chiejina The world premiere of Odyssey, a powerful new music-drama for singers and orchestra composed by Jonathan Dove.
Drawing on first-hand accounts, this dramatically engaging story in song allows the audience to see through the eyes of one refugee on a perilous journey to seek safety in another country. As vivid snapshots of a peaceful home life turn to visceral images of unrest, together we travel through strange landscapes and across borders, and discover the courage it takes to leave loved ones and take desperate risks in order to survive. Odyssey, a 50’ work for soloists, choir, and orchestra by Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton premieres at Bristol Beacon on 28 January 2024. The work celebrates and documents the courage of those who make the perilous journey, and the complex fortunes of those who manage to make a life in a new country, yet always long for home. With the storytelling shared between adult chorus, children’s chorus, community chorus and soprano and tenor soloists, with symphony orchestra Odyssey has been written in such a way that it may be fully or partially staged. The first performance with the City of Bristol Choir, along with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is conducted by David Ogden and was co-commissioned by them and the Bristol Music Trust who helped develop the piece, by organising workshops in which librettist Alasdair Middleton and Jonathan Dove met refugees currently living in Bristol. The community choirs Bristol Youth Choir and Bristol Windrush Reggae Choir join the performers along with Francesca Chiejina, Soprano and Thando Mjandana, Tenor. See more information on the Bristol Beacon website Comments are closed.
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