Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Unsuk Chin’s sparkling opera live at the Barbican on 8 March. Book on the Barbican website now.
Unsuk Chin: Alice in Wonderland
Multimedia staging by Netia Jones (UK Premiere)
8 March 2015 / 19:30Lewis Carroll’s beloved, dreamlike stories are re-imagined in this UK premiere production of Unsuk Chin’s operatic adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.
A glittering work by Chin and librettist David Henry Hwang, the riotous exhilaration and jet-black humour of the score meet their match tonight in Netia Jones’s tour de force production.
Celebrated for her innovative multimedia creations, including Britten’s Curlew River at St Giles Cripplegate in 2013, director/designer/video artist Jones realises her vision of the composer’s surreal take on Carroll by combining the darkly imaginative illustrations of gonzo-artist Ralph Steadman with live action, interactive animated projections, eye-popping costumes and choreography.
Please note that this production is not suitable for under-12s.
Programme & Performers
Unsuk Chin Alice in Wonderland (reduced orchestration by Lloyd Moore)
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Baldur Brönnimann conductor
Netia Jones director / designer and video artist
with illustrations from Ralph SteadmanRachele Gilmore Alice
Marie Arnet Cat
Jane Henschel Queen of Hearts
Stephen Richardson King of Hearts, Old Man 2, Crab
Jenni Bank Duchess
Andrew Watts White Rabbit, Badger, March Hare
Dietrich Henschel Mad Hatter
Rafael Moras, Pat/Cook/Invisible Man
Lacey Jo Benter Two/Owl
Nicholas Brownlee Old Man 1/Eaglet/Fish-Footman
Kihun Yoon Five/Executioner/Duck
Christopher Lemmings Mouse
Andrew Craig Brown Dodo/Frog-Footman/Seven
David Finch Bill/Mock Turtle
BBC Singers
Tiffin Boys ChoirThere will be one interval of approx 20 minutes.
Links:
- Official concert notice on the Barbican website, where you can sample some clips and listen to supplementary multimedia materials.
- LKL’s review of the whole day of Unsuk Chin’s music (including a video of the opera) at the Barbican on 9 April 2011: “In my dreams, I’m Alice in Wonderland”: a day in Unsuk Chin’s fantasy landscapes