Marilyn Forever

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Saturday, September 14th, 2013
8:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Aventa presents renowned British composer Gavin Bryars� opera Marilyn Forever. Commissioned by Aventa, the opera is based on aspects of the life of actress Marilyn Monroe, with libretto from British Columbia author and poet, Marilyn Bowering. The premiere takes place on September 13, at the MacPherson Playhouse Theatre, Victoria, BC.

Eiv�r P�lsd�ttir, Marilyn
Thomas Sandberg, The Men
Joel Ivany, Stage Director
Bill Linwood, conductor
Aventa Ensemble

Under the direction of Canadian stage director Joel Ivany, the opera brings Faroe Island�s premiere vocalist Eiv�r P�lsd�ttir performing the role of �Marilyn� together with baritone Thomas Sandberg as �the men� in her life. The instrumental component features three of Canada�s finest jazz musicians � Anthony Genge (piano/BC), Phil Dwyer (tenor sax/BC) and Gavin Bryars (double bass BC/UK).

Marilyn Forever examines Marilyn Monroe�s intellectual and emotional relationship to death and love. As the work progresses, the performance interweaves what is taking place on stage with the trajectory of Monroe�s life through relationships, fame and myth. Ultimately, the characters of the musicians as performers and men in Monroe�s life fuse with the forces that lead to her death. Marilyn Monroe is often looked at as a sex object, victim or fantasy. In this work, we are given through Monroe�s own voice, her combination of sensitivity and exhibitionism, allied to the narrative of the �chorus�, a view from the �inside� of the conflicting emotion and ambitions of this compelling and timeless personality.

Aventa Ensemble has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the music of Gavin Bryars and frequently performs his compositions. Gavin Bryars has chosen to live in British Columbia for much of the year and has been active in our community since 1999. Additionally, he has enjoyed several successful collaborations with Canadian artists and is frequently featured on CBC.