NAVIGATE the BLOOD
Composed by Admiral Fallow and Gareth Williams
with a libretto by Sian Evans
conducted by Christopher Swaffer
directed by James Robert Carson
designed by Alice Hebdon
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“As an immersive experience it is hard to beat” - The Times
“Points a way to a more inclusive, self-sustaining creative future for our
beloved art form.” - Opera Magazine
“An incredible experience from start to finish.” - The Campbeltown Courier
“A template for anyone seeking to reconnect opera with its popular and
vernacular roots.” - Opera Magazine
“A Piece that derives its strength from variety.” - The Herald
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“Simple but effective production. Compelling performances.” - Opera Scotland
“It works perfectly. Navigate the Blood went down a storm.” - Scotchwhisky.com
In a powerful new partnership, top Scottish indie-folk band Admiral Fallow have joined forces with composer Gareth Williams, pushing their collaborative boundaries in new creative directions to create the music for a new NOISE production.
Working with Gareth, librettist Sian Evans, and classical opera singers, the band have embraced an intense writing process, resulting in an exciting first new work of modern opera by these talented and versatile musicians.
The opera is set in the world of whisky and gin manufacturing and toured distilleries throughout Scotland throughout November 2018.
Told against this background of industry and employment, the new production of singing, music, theatre and storytelling has been created to reflect the lives of the distillery community in Scotland.
Navigate the Blood follows the story of Bob and Lena, a husband and wife running a small independent distillery in rural Scotland. Their son Liam disappeared in mysterious circumstances three years ago. Living and working with them is a young Polish woman named Agata. She wants to modernise the distillery by making gin as well as whisky. Into this situation comes Elijah, a young man with a strange, other worldly presence. Elijah looks and moves very like the lost boy…
Watch a preview of 'Where are you going?' from Navigate the Blood on BBC Radio Scotland's Classics Unwrapped on iPlayer
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You can listen to the full episode here...
This ambitious tour has been made possible by the support of Creative Scotland and is designed to welcome, engage and entertain new audiences for opera across the country.
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotland said: “NOISE is one of the boldest contemporary music companies in Scotland, and Navigate The Blood is a great example of how they break down barriers when it comes to opera. Not only does this production get out of the concert halls and into the communities, making Scotland’s distilleries the subject and the setting of each performance, it bends the rules of composition, with top-class classical talent collaborating with one of the country’s most musically ambitious bands. This is an inventive, exciting way to bring opera to new audiences, and Creative Scotland is proud to raise a glass to that.”
Blackbox is delighted to sponsor Navigate the Blood.
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