Inspired by three poems of love and beauty, this triptych for two singers and accordion is sung in Mandarin, English and Medieval French. From the Tang Dynasty: Spring, River, and Flowers on a Moonlit Night by Zhang Ruoxu, the English translated Beauty Dissolves in a Brief Hour by Strozzi and Loredano, and Jeux à Vendre by Christine de Pisan.
Music — FUHONG SHI, JOHN REA AND PIERRE KLANAC
Conductor - DÁIRINE NÍ MHEADHRA
Director — RUTH MADOC-JONES
Designer — MICHAEL GIANFRANCESCO
Lighting — KIMBERLY PURTELL
Forces — 2 SINGERS, 1 INSTRUMENTALIST
“Queen of Puddings' latest production, Beauty Dissolves in a Brief Hour, is an exquisite piece of music theatre."
– Eye Weekly
“Good feelings didn’t dissolve until many hours after this courtly, beautiful and innovative project ended.”
– Opera Canada
“The result is an absolutely enchanting show – delicate and poignant all at the same time.”
– Classical 96.3 FM
“All these works were beautifully performed by the singers, who shifted easily through the varied tessituras and styles of writing, and gave the pieces dramatic presence even when the texts offered mere situations for narratives we could imagine as we wished.”
– The Globe and Mail
PHOTOS: JOHN LAUENER
