Saunders: Yes / Ensemble Musikfabrik
Portrait Rebecca Saunders
What happens when you fall asleep
The moment we fall asleep fascinated the author James Joyce so much that he dedicated what is probably the most famous nocturnal monologue in literary history to the subject. Molly Bloom, a character in the novel »Ulysses«, fabulates drowsily about her life, sexual freedom, grief and the beauty of nature. The British composer Rebecca Saunders has turned this magical moment into music. Her work »Yes« wavers between sleep and wakefulness – with Bloom’s words and the somnambulistic sounds of Ensemble Musikfabrik.
»Yes«, which opens the Elbphilharmonie’s Rebecca Saunders spotlight, features 19 soloists and one singer. The musicians breathe and whisper words from Molly Bloom’s monologue, scattering sonorous fragments of memory around the space. »Memories take on temporary form, only to sink back into the river of time«, says Saunders. Music »like a giant mobile« gliding into the world of the night.
Performers
Ensemble Musikfabrik
Juliet Fraser soprano
conductor Enno Poppe
Paul Jeukendrup sound
Programme
Rebecca Saunders
Yes / A spatial performance for soprano, 19 soloists and conductor – Text from Molly Bloom’s soliloquy in the final chapter of »Ulysses« by James Joyce
Spotlight
Rebecca Saunders
