On Friday May 22, Canada’s Acenta Ensemble and conductor Bill Linwood will give the North American premiere of Large Bird Mask by Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin, at the Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria.
The populations of many common animal and bird species around the world have been decimated in recent decades. In Large Bird Mask, composer Rolf Wallin and director Kjetil Skøien address philosophical and ethical concerns around the ever-increasing number of bird species that face extinction.
“When we exterminate the birds, do we also exterminate what they symbolise deep within us? The dream of flying, the dream of singing freely and exuberantly and indeed the very dream of freedom? Maybe it's time to show a bit of humility? In many so-called primitive cultures, the shamans use masks to become one with the animal spirits, so that the animals can be harvested sustainably by the hunters without disappearing. Instead of masks, Acenta Ensemble musicians use their instruments to "become birds". The music they play is extracted from the song of some of the endangered bird species, stretched in time so that our slow ears can appreciate their fascinating melodic swirls. And with text and choreography they move into a larger scenic unity, with projected images and videos telling the story of these fantastic creatures and our vulnerable relationship with them”.
Programme note © 2019 Rolf Wallin
Commissioned by Cikada supported by the Norwegian Composers’ Fund. First performed by Cikada ensemble conducted by Christian Eggen with stage direction by Kjetil Skøien at Den Norske Opera & Ballett, Oslo, as part of Ultima festival on 14 September 2019.
For more information on the Aventa Ensemble performance please click here.
Watch extracts from the 2019 World Premiere performance by Cikada Ensemble below.
