Asko|Schönberg will premiere Mary Finsterer's new opera at the Holland Festival. Antarctica takes us into the mysterious world of the southern continent. A multidisciplinary performance in which the Australian composer connects historical, mythical and scientific images and stories about Antarctica. In doing so, she employs an enchanting combination of musical elements from old and new styles.
Topicality
At Antarctica figures three characters from the century of exploration: a cartographer, a natural scientist and a philosopher. They are miraculously summoned from the memory of a young girl found on the ice. The motivations of the three range from loving curiosity to arrogant possessiveness. They each have their own dreams and expectations about the mysterious landscape. But what they find is much bigger than themselves.
At a time of growing concern about ecology, climate change and the fragility of our oceans, current events are forcing their way into Antarctica clear on. 'We live at a time when climate change is destabilising every aspect of our lives on a political, cultural and scientific level. We all realise how fragile our existence and our planet are. It is against this backdrop that Tom Wright (librettist) and I Antarctica have come up with,' Finsterer said.
Intersection of art and science
In preparation for this grand project, a symposium was organised at the University of Tasmania. Mary Finsterer, Tom Wright and Fedor Teunnise, Askoschönberg artistic director, met arctic scientists there to gain knowledge and inspiration. They collected stories and data from fieldwork and incorporated them into the libretto and music. For instance, scientists released sonar sounds from scanning the bottom for traces of ancient icebergs to investigate ocean currents over the centuries. Finsterer uses these sounds in electric-acoustic tapes in her composition.
In addition, other sciences and artistic disciplines were explored in preparation. This not only provided a rich source of material for writing the libretto and music, it also inspired the artistic process director Imara Savage.
The music of Mary Finsterer
Mary Finsterer is a former student of composer Louis Andriessen and has previously written for Asko|Schönberg. She bases herself in Antarctica to ancient as well as contemporary music. Her music is steeped in historical, metaphorical and poetic references. Stylistically, early musical practices converge with twentieth- and twenty-first-century innovations, including the use of electronics.
ANTARCTICA
Sun 5 and Mon 6 June, 20:30, Holland Festival in Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ
Asko|Schönberg:
Mary Finsterer composition
Tom Wright libretto
Jack Symonds conductor
Imara Savage direction
Jane Sheldon, Jessica O'Donoghue, Anna Fraser, Michael Petruccelli, Simon Lobelson vocals
Elizabeth Gadsby set and costume design
Mike Daly filmmaker
Alexander Berlage lighting design
> Antarctica - Holland Festival - Asko Schoenberg (askoschoenberg.nl)
Antarctica was commissioned by Asko|Schönberg, with generous support from Julian Burnside AO Trust for Mary Finsterer and the University of Tasmania.
Co-production: Sydney Chamber Opera, Asko|Schönberg and Holland Festival, with support from Carriageworks, NSW Government through Create NSW.
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Français 
