THU 7 JUL 19:30

FRI 8 JUL 19:30

SAT 9 JUL 14:30

SAT 9 JUL 19:30

Jennifer Hamilton Director and Librettist Harry Sever Musical Director Gidon Saks Costume

A pasticcio in words and music. In Strozzi! Trinity Laban performers bring to life the intriguing world of seventeenth-century Venetian composer Barbara Strozzi. The drama uses Strozzi’s own music to illustrate the events of her extraordinary life, right from her childhood in a bohemian household, as a gifted young singer at L’Incogniti (one of Venice’s famed Academies), to the days of her celebrity and success as a published composer and society queen. Set in a city famous for the pursuit of pleasure, the story also explores her alleged double life as a courtesan. Many colourful characters enter the stage in this ‘pasticcio’ - and the scandals, controversies and tragedies in Barbara’s power-packed life are featured against a backdrop of plagues, wars, poverty, carnival and celebration. Cavalli, Monteverdi and the ghost of Gesualdo appear - and their stories are reflected in Strozzi’s ravishing music. The arrangements of the music, performed with a small instrumental ensemble, will echo the exotic and diverse influences which resonated in this cosmopolitan city. This is a passionate tale of poets, singers, artists, lovers, courtesans, aristocrats, entrepreneurs, villains and murderers - all dominated by an extraordinary woman who was far ahead of her time, forging her way forward in a male-dominated world. Though Strozzi herself never wrote an opera, Jennifer Hamilton has woven together several of Strozzi's solo and ensemble works with an original libretto to tell the composer's extraordinary tale in operatic form. We cannot wait for you to come explore Strozzi’s fascinating life and music with us at Blackheath Halls. Contains adult themes, suitable for age 15+