Dunedin Consort, Hera and Mahogany Opera revive 300-year-old cantatas
Florence Lockheart
Friday, June 23, 2023
Out Of Her Mouth is the UK premiere of three of Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s biblical cantatas which focus on the experiences of women
Baroque ensemble Dunedin Consort, feminist opera company Hera and Mahogany Opera, which focuses on commissioning new works, have joined forces to present the UK premiere of Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s biblical cantatas. Starting from Friday (23 June) Out Of Her Mouth will tour to Findhorn, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London, finishing its journey in York on 12 July.
Each performance will present the three cantatas in modern English translations by Toria Banks. Each narrates a different story of a woman from the bible. Works about the lives of ‘Judith’, ‘Rachel’ and ‘Susanne’ will be performed by sopranos Carolyn Sampson, Anna Dennis (pictured below) and Alys Mererid Roberts. The three sopranos will perform with props including watermelons (a total of five for each show) and baseball bats.
© Alastair More
Out Of Her Mouth is directed by Mathilde Lopez, a freelance director and artistic director of August 012 theatre company. Lopez said: ‘These are three stories about sex and power and ultimately the perpetuation of patriarchy. Surprising and complex, these baroque vignettes display varied dilemmas and moral contortions, but all have in common the very recognisable fear, solitude and violence generated by constant unwanted sexual attention, harassment and objectification. Our women are all kneaded by male violence and the thousand years of abuse that comes with having a female body.’
The three works will be presented together as ‘variations on female oppression’ by the three organisations alongside additional partner the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM). In order to make the production as accessible as possible, live audiences will have access to creative captions, audio description introductions and a recording of the show will be released later this year as part of NCEM’s online Christmas festival.
The project marks the culmination of Dunedin Consort’s 2022-23 season. Chief executive Jo Buckley said: ‘It was a real meeting of minds, where we discovered a shared passion for exploring new ideas, pushing our boundaries, and opening up the world of opera in brilliant and creative ways. So, we are thrilled to be partnering with Mahogany Opera again for Out of her Mouth, and to be working with Hera for the very first time, particularly given their specialism in representing stories told by and about women.’
