To a Flame

Erin Shields’ To a Flame opened at the Nancy and Ed Jackman Performance Centre on Friday evening. It’s a co-production of 1s1 Theatre and Nightwood Theatre directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo and it’s designed for Deaf and hearing audiences; the dialogue being in English and ASL. I had pretty mixed feelings about it. It’s brimming with ideas and invention, it’s busy, there’s loads of action and visual interest but in the final analysis it just doesn’t seem to come together or have anything terribly original to say. I have to say some of my previous experience with Erin Shields’ work has felt that way as well.

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Mr. Dowland’s Dream

So following on from Ruby Hughes’ Dowland heavy album Amidst the Shades we have soprano Clara Brunet and lutenist Bor Zuljan with Mr. Dowland’s Dream.  It’s similar in some ways but very different in others.  For a start Zuljan is playing an orpharion; which sounds a bit like a lute with a reverb pedal.  Mostly he’s using a nine course instrument by Bruce Brook, after a 1617 instrument by Francis Palmer, and sometimes he’s playing an electric orpharion of ten courses by César Arias with magnetic pick ups.  Net result, the sound world is rather different from the Hughes album. Continue reading →