Event

Pieces in the Key of Silence

Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Pieces in the Key of Silence

The caged bird sings, they say, but how do you sing with an iron curtain drawn tight around your cage?

Do you compose the song they say to sing? are you sarcastic? do you couch your work in code? do you compose the human spirit soaring? or do you sing through tears?

Sometimes in our silent heart of hearts we know this! the answer is all of the above.

Two artists, contemporaries confronted with political repression, threats of violence, murder and death all around, respond. One turns his genius within, producing work banal and heartbreaking, outrageously expressive and shockingly introverted. He meets his oppressors sometimes with sarcasm, sometimes with coded messages and sometimes with obsequious acceptance of their criticism. The other turns outward, away from the shackles that bind him, reaching for beauty in exquisitely crafted works, celebrating the triumphs of the human spirit, travelling the world as a spokesperson for the regime which sought to restrict his artistic voice. This is the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, two men who suffered and transcended the oppression of the Soviet Regime under Stalin.

concert:nova will explore their chamber music through the words of those around them, outlining these ambiguous figures and embracing the contradictions which defined them. Joined by director Michael Burnham and a small group of actors and dancers, we will allow their music to speak for them, exploring the depth and power of their expression while also allowing the audience to reach its own conclusions regarding the ultimate meaning expressed.

DECEMBER 4 & 5, 8pm
Know Theater
1120 Jackson Street
Cincinnati