Tasmanian Soprano Alison Bell. Image courtesy Felipe Pagani.
London-based soprano Alison Bell returns to her hometown of Hobart for an exclusive recital of Schoenberg’s famous Pierrot Lunaire at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) during SYNAETHESIA+ in August.
Recognised for her contributions to 20th and 21st century music, Bell will present the complete 21 movements in a mix of song and spoken word, penned originally in 1912 and inspired by the commedia dell’arte character of the clown.
‘There’s something about the piece that is still modern without being alienating. It is atonal, which doesn’t use the 12 tone row which Schoenberg developed a little later on, but it’s the story that everyone recognises,’ said Bell.
‘It’s all consuming emotionally, aurally and I just still think its very strange for audiences to hear today. The music is mesmerising, and even alienating in the way that people think a lot of atonal music is.’
Presented in the Organ room, Bell said that the recital would connect to the greater SYNAESTHESIA+ program as an exploration of the sonic and the visual, which closes off the gallery to the general public for an entire weekend, transforming the space into a festival of heightened senses.
‘It’s all about creative experiences and possibilities. This kind of music taken out of the concert hall context and changes the distance between you and what is happening. They really want to push the boundaries of a creative experience.
‘It’s good to put Pierrot Lunaire outside of the concert hall and remove any kind of formality, where people feel more free to engage and remove the distance between the audience and the performers,’ she said.
Bell said that Schoenberg was really interested in creating musical dramas, in which colour could be perceived in the same level as sound and action. ‘I compare Pierrot Lunaire in this context. It’s thoroughly provocative to be overwhelmed at times by the sound world. It’s a perfect piece for this kind of festival.
‘Schoenberg would have loved to hear it in this kind of context. It’s married between the different art forms and encourages a more intimate level of engagement.’
Pierrot Lunaire has become one of Bell’s favourite pieces to perform in recent times. ‘It’s something that I never thought I’d be capable of doing. It’s one of those iconic pieces. The repertoire I had done up to that point had nothing to do with that kind of sound world,’ she said.
SYNAESTHESIA+ will be held at the Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, on Saturday 16 August and Sunday 17 August, 2014.
For bookings and further information visit the MONA website.
