KalliópÉ
or the genesis of Ian Magilton’s imagi_nation
In ancient Greece Kalliópē (literally: 'beautiful-voiced') was the Muse who presided over eloquence and epic poetry, because of the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muses”.
Kaliópé is at the centre of our work as a constellation of organizations working together to give voice. And the essence of that work, which we call ‘Singing’ is probably impossible to quantify, because what is often realised as most important in our work is exactly that which is impossible to explain. It comes from our insistence on searching for those rare moments when one is genuinely touched by one’s own life.
Imagi_nation is a theatre production company that exists to carry out research and to produce performances in the field of the human voice without borders. Founded by Ian Magilton and inspired by Kalliopé, it is based in Malérargues, home of the Roy Hart Theatre and today a centre for research, training, and artistic creation: the Centre Artistique International Roy Hart (CAIRH).
ZAUBER
Imagi_nation’s first production was Mozart’s opera ZAUBERflöte, produced over the last five years, under the care of the CAIRH and starring, among others, several members of our Midderigh Vox Team: Ivan Midderigh (as Sarastro), Orly Asody, Kaya Anderson, Stephan Köch, Doug MacArthur, Laurent Stéphan, Sašo Vollmaier, and Ian himself.
Die Zauberflöte has been woven into the research of Roy Hart Theatre ever since Alfred Wolfsohn’s first inspiration of the ‘Human Voice’ a hundred years ago. He insisted that everyone was capable of singing all of the archetypal roles in it, from the Queen of the Night’s highest, to Sarastro’s lowest note of classical music; that in each of us there is a lover, a victim, hero, fool, wise man, dictator, witch, evil slave and more. Is there a way for the opinions of our archetypes to be fully lived and live profitably with those of others?
We invite you to live in the question at the next performance of ZAUBER, The Magic Flute through the prism of Roy Hart Theatre. on Friday 11 August at 9pm at the Centre Roy Hart, Château de Malérargues, 30140 Thoiras, France.
For more details see here.
ACIS AND GALATEA
Imagi_nation’s new project; the baroque opera Acis and Galatea by Handel begins in October with an intensive research and creation workshop with an emphasis on vocal and theatrical expression.
This is an experimental project, which we hope will eventually lead to a production in the spirit of the Roy Hart Theatre. We will explore the beautiful and varied choruses of this opera, with an emphasis on vocal and theatrical expression.
Aims:
– To learn to make certain choices : which voice, which sound, which pitch, which timbre, what volume, what intensity, what sound quality ?
– To become more comfortable with your voice, learn how to play it and project it efficiently.
– To refine our perception of ourselves and of space.
– To develop the energy required to express different emotions.
– To explore the concept of rhetoric: a vital element in baroque music, which links perfectly music and theatre.
– To explore the notion of ensemble work : how can a group of individuals form a cohesive choir with a common ear and a united expression ?
– To work on the way the choir articulates the text so that each word and each note can find its correct vibration.
– To interpret Handel’s music in a way that allows maximum expression, without losing the meaning of the original score.
“The most important task of a musician is, like that of an actor, to give life to what is written on the page…”
Teachers:
The work will be accompanied and directed by four professional actor/musicians, all with extensive experience in the vocal research of Roy Hart Theatre at Malérargues:
– Ian Magilton, Theatre director and voice teacher
– Stephen Rivers-Moore, baroque musician and choir director
– Sašo Vollmaier, pianist and voice teacher
– Caroline Boersma, baroque musician and voice teacher
For more details see here.