ANTIGONE
The Cleveland Play House was about to begin tech for their production of ANTIGONE when COVID-19 necessitated a lockdown of theater spaces. Ultimately, the production was cancelled out of concerns of safety. Here is a glimpse into the composition and design work I had completed for this piece,
The composition aspect of this show consisted of short transitions to cover scene breaks and actor entrances/exits. My idea was to write music that sat on the edge of chaos, much like the country in the play. A war had just finished and the dust was still settling. I used percussion from around the world as well as percussion that I created to avoid giving the music a sense of place or time. The textures include warped cellos, synth pads, low bass tones, processed metal, and recorded vocals. I recorded the actors for this production vocalizing and created the vocal textures using their voices.
The composition aspect of this show consisted of short transitions to cover scene breaks and actor entrances/exits. My idea was to write music that sat on the edge of chaos, much like the country in the play. A war had just finished and the dust was still settling. I used percussion from around the world as well as percussion that I created to avoid giving the music a sense of place or time. The textures include warped cellos, synth pads, low bass tones, processed metal, and recorded vocals. I recorded the actors for this production vocalizing and created the vocal textures using their voices.
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The play was to begin with a sonic retelling of the recently ended war. My goal was to represent the violence and disruption that the people of Thebes had just endured. Their royal family had split and waged a civil war against one another. The pain in Thebes was visceral and the dust was still settling.
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Teiriesias, the blind prophet, enters the play to give a dire warning to Creon. I created a mysterious swirling sound with actor vocals and textures which then catapulted into intense drums to signify his standing. Actor Steve Gladstone had a phenomenal deep bass voice, so I used samples of his own voice to herald his entrance. At the end of the play, Creon has lost everything and everyone. Foreign armies are at her doorstep. I created a piece that referenced the opening cue of the show, but integrated the metal textures that foreshadowed danger earlier. I also utilized screams and chains to show the bleak future of Thebes. |
In order to represent the passage of time in transitional moments, I composed an array of 10-20 second pieces. The intention was for the action of the next scene to begin as soon as the transitions hit their stings. These pieces paralleled the tension and events within the previous scene while also hurling the story forward. I wanted to create a sense of inevitability for the fates of both Antigone and Creon. Once Antigone was threatened with execution, metallic textures and percussion were brought into the music to represent the potential violence. Antigone was doomed from the moment she was threatened, and the textures foreshadowed her tragic end. The tragedy of the play comes to light in this scene. Antigone has killed herself and so has her love, Creon's son Haemon. Eurydice is horrified and cannot bear the pain. She kills herself as well. This cue represents the sense of hopelessness and intense grief that overwhelms her. |
The production was going to be in a thrust configuration, so I intended to separate out all of the vocal tracks and textures to create a fully immersive experience with surround speakers. During the dialogue scenes, the idea was to use low, subsonic sound that would be felt rather than heard, as well as subtle textures and affected actor vocalizations to psychologically manipulate the audience to one side of the play's central argument or the other.
The actors were also going to be doing live vocalizations during certain transitions. Music Director Nathan Motta worked with the actors to develop vocalizations in straight, dissonant tones to create a sense of tension. The idea was to use micropolyphony (many vocal parts moving up or down independently of each other or any time signature.) When listening to music, we crave musical resolution. I intended to not give the audience any.
Unfortunately, there was no resolution for us, as we did not get to present this production. In spite of the disappointment, I feel so grateful to have met all of these incredible artists and to have gotten to create such a special piece together.
The actors were also going to be doing live vocalizations during certain transitions. Music Director Nathan Motta worked with the actors to develop vocalizations in straight, dissonant tones to create a sense of tension. The idea was to use micropolyphony (many vocal parts moving up or down independently of each other or any time signature.) When listening to music, we crave musical resolution. I intended to not give the audience any.
Unfortunately, there was no resolution for us, as we did not get to present this production. In spite of the disappointment, I feel so grateful to have met all of these incredible artists and to have gotten to create such a special piece together.
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