/ Various Stages 2015
/ No Devil Lived On
Composer Jamie Man
Restlessness is probably the feeling that describes most accurately the presentation of No Devil Lived On, composed by Jamie Man. This piece was the last showcased as part of our Various Stages Festival 2015. The final rehearsal took place at Hackney Empire, in the presence of a selected audience who later participated in a fruitful Show and Tell session.
The solemn choreography, the dramatic input of the five double basses, the position of red balloons on stage, and the recurrent lo-fi back sound playing behind the compelling voices of four singers are among some of the features that contribute towards building an atmosphere of uncertainty and growing intensity.
Inspired by Michael Ende's book Spiegel im Spiegel, this labyrinthine, dream opera almost feels as a piece of performance art; through a circle-shaped structure, which allows a three-dimensional approach to what happens on stage, No Devil Lived On entangles delicacy and fragmentation, while likewise building a unique sense of intimacy.
No Devil Lived On is being developed as part of a Sound and Music Embedded residency scheme.
By Catalina Herrera.
Student of the Cultural and Creative Industries MA Programme at King's College London. Catalina is currently working at Mahogany Opera Group as a projects assistant.