* Notes *
William Kentridge’s The Nice Sure, The Nice No (pictured, {photograph} by Monika Rittershaus) had a Bay Space premiere at Cal Performances final weekend. The choral music was composed by Nhlanhla Mahlangu and in addition carried out by her and 6 different singers. The music director was Tlale Makhene who performed percussion within the small ensemble that included cello, accordion/banjo, and piano. The efficiency was spectacular, together with singing, dancing, phrases in lots of languages, and Kentridge’s personal singular visible vocabulary.
The work follows the journey of the Capitaine Paul-Lemerle from Marseille to Martinique in 1941 Aboard the ship are 350 refugees whose numbers embody artists and intellectuals. This historic narrative does embody fictional and even surrealist prospers, and is strikingly totally different from Kentridge’s final chamber opera SIBYL. The performers use outsized flat masks held in a single hand to cowl their faces. A few of the masks depicted folks, however there have been, delightfully, espresso pot heads and a pineapple one too. The espresso pots in actual fact have some strains in French admonishing one to talk correct French. The libretto has snippets of Bertolt Brecht, André Breton, Aimé Césaire, Suzanne Césaire, Léon-Gontran Damas, and Frantz Fanon.
There was loads packed into the 90 minutes of the efficiency, which felt each very lengthy and really brief one way or the other. The refrain of girls sang in English and French but additionally the Bantu languages of isiSwati, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Setswana, and Xitsonga. The singers sounded completely stunning, for me they have been the spotlight of our Sunday matinée.The small quartet performed with a lot verve and have been additionally fairly gratifying.
Martinican Surrealist writers Aimé and Suzanne Césaire weren’t really on the ship, however determine prominently on this efficiency. Key figures within the Négritude motion, they carry up themes of colonialism, worry, and freedom. Suzanne has a outstanding scene with the refrain that has the texture of Greek tragedy. André Breton, who was buddies with the Césaires and was on the Capitaine Paul-Lemerle, additionally reveals up on this piece. There’s a very humorous half the place there are two André Breton, one is the chief of Surrealism and the opposite a “basic misanthrope.”
* Tattling *
The efficiency, which didn’t have an intermission, began late. Even nonetheless there have been many latecomers that made entire rows have to face as much as allow them to in because the music was taking place. There was additionally some quiet speaking, which I didn’t admire however I used to be grateful that I did not hear any digital noise.
