Before the Beginning II

Before the Beginning
II
A Graphic Opera in Five Acts
SEE COMMENTS FOR MORE DETAILS
sung by
Lourdes Ambriz,
Maria Huesca
and Benito Navarro

[@paulalanbarker]

INDEX ACT 1 Titles kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM Ballad kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=25 Patter Song kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=220 Oniomio kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=320 Serenade kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=574 TuRuBoo kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=763 ACT 2 Lament kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=916 Anowenimu kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=1125 Lullaby kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=1301 DoTraKwa kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=1520 ACT 3 Prothalamium kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=1769 Barcarole kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=1906 The Argument kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=2152 ACT 4 Blues kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=2304 Aubade kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=2440 Echo kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=2617 ACT 5 Threnody kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=2941 Anthem kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=3079 Oinamanga kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=3216 GaGaGu kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM?t=3339

[@paulalanbarker]

Graphic Opera Without Words: a Guided Tour I wanted to make an opera that did not need to have a plot explained not words followed or translated, an opera free from words. However, some people might wish to be guided and I offer the following only as a subjective proposition that reflects what I thought about the music and graphics on one day: ACT ONE Ballad kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM After drawing our attention she speaks intimately with us to prepare for the journey ahead. The figure that appears on the screen may be running or dancing but at the same time seems to be still. Patter Song kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM The figure is now running, or perhaps flying. The torrent of consonants and syllables are unstoppable, a never-ending stream of energy that overtakes us and then fades away into the distance. Oniomio kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A single vocal line is woven between two voices to unfold the story of the relationship symbolised by the red and yellow figures which dance together and apart. They almost disappear into whiteness before they touch at the end. Serenade kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM As much as it is between words this serenade is also between the notes, always rising and falling. Its sinewy movements are visible on screen, as if under a microscope, until it moves out of sight. Turuboo kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM The finale to Act I brings all three voices dancing together joyfully. The image glows until a tiny, jewelled treasure appears. It grows little by little as do the voices which increase with excitement. At the end it explodes into childlike bubbles. ACT TWO Lament kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A tear gently falls while the voice cries of loss. The tear is enclosed in a labyrinth which reduces the voice to a telling hum. The labyrinth takes on its own form while the voice sings from inside. After it fades the tear reappears and somehow rises upwards before it disappears. Anowenimu kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A single word is repeatedly spoken to discover every possible meaning until it is sung. The image moves from something abstract towards a landscape, but like the word, it is always changing into something else before we can grasp it. Lullaby kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM There are two objects, something too big to be seen completely and a small, more delicate object, perhaps like an egg. This grows and becomes something enormous but although the other figure disappears, its presence is audible and constant. Another small object appears and the cycle continues. DoTraKwa kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM Or perhaps OneTwoThree or even BlueRedYellow, since each voice of the trio tells its own story in relationship with the others. They join together when they sing in unison. The last voice to appear is the first to leave which has a dramatic effect. The two remaining voices are suddenly high and tense. They turn white only to recover their colour slowly but changed forever. ACT THREE Prothalmium kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A song about marriage and its relationship to those outside. The couple, who appear in different silhouettes are increasingly outnumbered by those onlooking until they can no longer be seen. We may be listening to someone rejoicing in the union or perhaps warning us, or both. Barcarole kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A boating song where each passionate phrase leaves its wake on the water, represented by dynamic colourful lines which appear in increasing complexity. Despite the dramatic events, the end seems to resolve into acceptance as the lines slowly disappear. The Argument kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM Two opposed points of view create sparks between them, in complex divisions of colour and phrases. Each holds their own ground and far from relenting they end in complete opposition. ACT FOUR Blues kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A figure appears with a visible heart. It seems to be running from or playing with a cloud of white objects. The beat of the blues becomes a heartbeat before the white objects fall to the ground underneath a cloud of hearts. Aubade kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM It is morning and things are not too clear. Half awake, we remember and see things that may have happened during the night. We try to hold onto those images that pleased us but they float away or change into something else. Awake now, we are haunted by something that affected us deeply; if only we could remember what it was. Echo (and Narcissus) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM Phrases are entwined with their echo so we cannot tell when one ends and the other begins. Is that voice mine or am I that voice? From a single note to more complex patterns, the voices envelope each other. They turn and turn until something appears from deep within and envelopes us. From inside we glimpse something extraordinary. ACT FIVE Threnody kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A valiant call summons us to witness the creation of something. A totem? A building? A city? The voice leads us inexorably to a final dramatic scene where an open window something suddenly appears. Anthem kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM A proclamation of citizenship and cultural language where none is visible. The flag moves between rigid shapes and organic ones, just as the voice does. Oinamanga kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM With a percussion soundtrack of clicks produced while singing, this duo is a playful game of uncovering something hidden. But when we discover it we find it might devour us. GaGaGu kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqDCYqipateKeqM And this is how Before the Beginning all begins: but watch out because the view from a pram might not always be so charming as we imagine.