Van der Aa: The Book of Disquiet

24 february 2016 until 25 february 2016

Photo: Abdi Ibrahim

Dutch composer/director Michel van der Aa, London Sinfonietta and Soutbank Centre present The Book of Disquiet at The Coronet Theatre London. A performance based on the writings of Fernando Pessao. Narrative, music, electronics and video are combined in a thought-provoking performance, conducted by Joana Caneiro.

When Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa died in 1935 he left behind a trunk filled with unfinished and unpublished writings – a tantalising treasure trove of scribbled anecdotes and idle thoughts. Among these were the pages that make up his posthumous masterpiece The Book of Disquiet, an autobiography of his alter ego Bernardo Soares.

Michael van der Aa’s score transforms Pessoa's collection of dream vignettes into a hypnotic work that mixes spoken word, performed by British actor Samuel West, with music, electronics and video, probing the true nature of the ever-elusive self.

Other funders/partners: Arts Council England, Cockayne – Grants for the Arts, The London Community Foundation, Southbank Centre.

For more information: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk

grant:

grant for Dutch presentations abroad