SEATTLE SYMPHONY PRESENTS AN IMAGINATIVE TELLING OF A MYSTICAL GREEK TALE IN STRAVINSKY’S PERSEPHONE

LIFE-SIZED PUPPETRY AND CREATIVE SET DESIGN BY RENOWNED FILM AND THEATER DESIGNER MICHAEL CURRY, CO-COMMISSIONED WITH THE OREGON SYMPHONY

SEATTLE, WA – On April 26 and 28 at Benaroya Hall, Ludovic Morlot leads the Seattle Symphony in a creative multi-disciplinary production of Stravinsky’s Persephone featuring and life-sized puppetry and vibrant set design by renowned designer Michael Curry. Co-commissioned with the Oregon Symphony, Persephone is narrated by Pauline Cheviller and features tenor Kenneth Tarver, dancers Anna Marra and Henry Cotton, the Northwest Boychoir, and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. The all-Stravinsky program also includes Song of the Volga Boatmen, Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments with pianist Marc-André Hamelin, and Les noces. Joining the Seattle Symphony for Les noces are the Dmitry Pokrovsky Ensemble and pianists Hamelin, Cristina Valdés, Jessica Choe and Li-Tan Hsu.

Based in Portland, Oregon, Michael Curry’s works have been featured in productions for Disney, the Olympics and the Super Bowl. Curry’s production of Persephone interchanges puppets and humans in a way that plays with the illusion of two worlds. Included in the production are multiple puppets and puppeteers in addition to the Seattle Symphony Chorale and the Northwest Boychoir.

 Persephone is a retelling of an ancient Greek myth about sacrifice and renewal. The legend begins when Hades, god of the underworld, kidnaps Persephone, the daughter of Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Hades imprisons Persephone in the underworld, leaving Earth frozen in perpetual winter. In classical mythology, the abduction of Persephone and her subsequent rescue explain the rotation of winter and spring.

To play up the duality of Persephone, who is played by both a dancer and a puppet, Curry built the puppet to be an exact likeness of the dancer, who will also wear a mask of the puppet’s face. “Persephone was the ultimate puppet because she was so manipulated by the gods,” says Curry. “But one thing we decided is that we wanted to empower Persephone in our version. She wasn’t going to be a victim.”

The all-Stravinsky program opens with Song of the Volga Boatman followed by Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments with pianist Marc-André Hamelin. Beloved by Seattle audiences, Hamelin most recently performed on the Distinguished Artists series in September 2017 and was a soloist with the orchestra in April 2015 when audiences “just wouldn’t let him leave” (The Seattle Times).

Inspired by Russian folk music, Stravinsky’s Les noces (“The Wedding”) precedes intermission and includes lyrics set from traditional Russian wedding songs. The historic Dmitry Pokrovsky Ensemble will perform the original Les noces version scored for choir, four pianos and percussion. Founded in 1973, the Dmitry Pokrovsky Ensemble was the first group of professional musicians devoted to the performance and preservation of traditional Russian music.

MICHAEL CURRY DIRECTOR AND STAGE DESIGNER

In 30 years, Michael Curry has achieved an international reputation as a production designer specializing in transformational scenery, large-scale puppetry, costuming and character design. He collaborates regularly with the world’s foremost entertainment companies, such as The Walt Disney Company, Cirque du Soleil, the Olympic Committee and the Metropolitan Opera, to create exhilarating performance experiences for global audiences.

To realize his creations, Curry surrounds himself with a core team of 50 artists and technicians at his studio in Portland, Oregon. This specialized team provides a full spectrum of services, from concept development through to the final performance.

MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN PIANO

Marc-André Hamelin is ranked among the elite of world pianists for his unrivaled blend of musicianship and virtuosity in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of the neglected music of the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in Montreal and a resident of Boston, Marc-André Hamelin is the recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the German Record Critic’s Association. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Québec and a member of the Royal Society of Canada.

KENNETH TARVER TENOR

Seattle Symphony Featured Artist Kenneth Tarver has enjoyed an international career for more than a decade as a bel canto specialist. He is a true tenore di grazie, acknowledged for his beauty of tone, impressively even vocal range and elegant stage presence, exhibiting all the signs of a true virtuoso on the operatic stage. Tarver has debuted at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and performed the most demanding repertoire to critical acclaim.

DMITRY POKROVSKY ENSEMBLE

The Dmitry Pokrovsky Ensemble was founded by prominent musician, scientist and researcher of Russian national culture Dmitry Pokrovsky (1944–96) in Moscow in 1973 as a “living laboratory” for the study of different Russian folk traditions. The Ensemble performs modern music, works with many modern composers and has classical compositions in its repertoire.

LUDOVIC MORLOT CONDUCTOR

French conductor Ludovic Morlot has been Music Director of the Seattle Symphony since 2011. Among the many highlights of his tenure, the orchestra has won three Grammy Awards and gave an exhilarating performance at Carnegie Hall in 2014, as reported in The New York Times: “The performance Mr. Morlot coaxed from his players was rich with shimmering colors and tremulous energy.”

Trained as a violinist, Morlot studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London and then at the Royal College of Music as recipient of the Norman del Mar Conducting Fellowship. Morlot was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2014 in recognition of his significant contribution to music. He is Chair of Orchestral Conducting Studies at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY

The Seattle Symphony is one of America's leading symphony orchestras and is internationally acclaimed for its innovative programming and extensive recording history. Under the leadership of Music Director Ludovic Morlot since September 2011, the Symphony is heard from September through July by more than 500,000 people through live performances and radio broadcasts. It performs in one of the finest modern concert halls in the world — the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall — in downtown Seattle. Its extensive education and community engagement programs reach over 65,000 children and adults each year. The Seattle Symphony has a deep commitment to new music, commissioning many works by living composers each season. The orchestra has made nearly 150 recordings and has received three Grammy Awards, 23 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. In 2014 the Symphony launched its in-house recording label, Seattle Symphony Media.

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