World renowned English contemporary chamber orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, and Southbank Centre present Dutch composer Michel van der Aa's The Book of Disquiet at The Coronet Theatre in London, February 24 and 25. Based on the unpublished writings of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, the performance in set to combine narrative, music, electronics and video for truly unique experience.
Upon his death in 1935 philosopher/poet Fernando Pessoa left behind a virtual treasure trove of unfinished and unpublished writing including the posthumous autobiography of his alter ego Bernando Soares, The Book of Disquiet.
A press release from the London Sinfonietta describes Michel van der Aa's interpretation of the memoir as a mix media event destined to mesmerize as much as entertain:
"Michel Van der Aa's score transforms Pessoa's collection of dream vignettes and autobiographical anecdotes into a hypnotic work that mixes spoken word, performed by Samuel West, with music, electronics and video, probing the true nature of the ever-elusive self."
Despite all the moving parts, The Guardian's Andrew Clements praised van der Aa's The Book of Disquiet for perfectly conveying the discombobulated nature of Pessoa's original work:
"Magically, it all coheres: the parade of visuals, beautifully shot under Van der Aa's direction; the musing disconnectedness of Brandauer's utterances, which create the texture of a dream.
"If it's in the nature of Pessoa's book that there can be no resolution, there is a kind of closure here, a sense of knowing much more about the author and his alter ego than we ever would otherwise."
To get your tickets to the London Sinfonietta's performance of Michel van der Aa's The Book of Disquiet be sure to head over to the Southbank Centre's official website or call the Box Office at 0844 875 0073.
