HEROES
“I was astonished when I heard John Scott first. His voice reverberates through space like a clear shot of lightening... Scott deconstructs the opera form, not with the erudition of a post-modern arts practitioner, but with the visceral shamanic passion of a true artist" - Michael Harding, Irish Playwright
Heroes is a powerful Opera/Dance performance, thrillingly delivered by John Scott, choreographer, dancer and operatic tenor. Scott, whose dance works tour nationally and internationally and whose singing career spans from New York to the UK, creates his first major solo since ‘The Bowing Dance’, using the universe of German operatic heroes: Beethoven’s Fidelio, Wagner’s Die Walkure and Siegfried, and Weber’s Der Freischutz and characters from Puccini’s Turandot, Tosca and Verdi’s Rigoletto and Otello.
Scott, winner of the Tenor Solo Trophy, studied with the legendary Veronica Dunne (Dublin) and Janice Chapman (London) and performed with voice/dance pioneer Meredith Monk, creates a journey of dance during which his astonishing voice reveals two selves, human and mythological. The music portrays heroes battling evil forces and conquering darkness, interspersed with the theme of escape.
Soundscape is by French-Palestinian artist Jassem Hindi, who also collaborates with Keith Hennessy and Maira Habib. The collaboration between Scott and Hindi creates a sound environment for the operatic echoes to resonate. Heroes is framed through interaction with Jonathan Burrows collaborator Matteo Fargion.
Heroes was commissioned by Carlow Arts Festival 2016. It has been performed in Ireland at St John’s Arts Centre, Listowel, The Dock Arts Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon, Wexford Arts Centre, Irish World Academy for Music and Dance and internationally at Dance Across Borders, 3a Vaningen, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Sounded Bodies Festival, Zagreb, Croatia.
Concept / Choreography / Performance: John Scott
Soundscape: Jassem Hindi
Outside Eye: Matteo Fargion
Featuring live music by: Beethoven, Wagner, Puccini