Rambert Dance World Premiere at The Lowry
Rambert Dance Company
with its Associate Orchestra London Musici
presents the World Première of Eternal Light
RAMBERT DANCE COMPANY
Eternal Light Tour 2008
Thurs 25 – Sat 27 Sept 2008
World Première & Press night at The Lowry on Thurs 25 September, 7.30pm
Rambert Dance Company returns to its partner theatre, The Lowry, with the world premiere of Eternal Light, a major new collaboration between Artistic Director Mark Baldwin, composer Howard Goodall, designer Michael Howells and fashion milliner Stephen Jones.
Set to an elegiac and evocative score, this powerfully beautiful and life-affirming celebration will be sung live by Ad Solem (Manchester University Chamber Choir), with soloists Elizabeth Atherton and Adrian Powter, accompanied by Rambert’s Associate Orchestra, London Musici.
The Company believes in the power of live music to enrich the senses and London Musici, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, superbly enhances the Rambert experience.
With dance commissioned by Sadler’s Wells and music commissioned by London Musici, Eternal Light is one of Rambert Dance Company’s most ambitious collaborations in recent years. Sumptuous designs from Michael Howells (Constant Speed, Galliano, Dior) feature sparkling crystals donated by Swarovski and a striking headdress design from fashion milliner Stephen Jones.
Having received a TMA Theatre Award for his Achievement in Dance, and an Olivier Award nomination for the creation of Constant Speed in 2005, Mark Baldwin creates his second major new work for Rambert Dance Company.
“What a fabulous bunch of dancers director Mark Baldwin has gathered around himself. Rambert closed their spring tour last week with a spectacular celebration of the dancer’s art with an offering of modern works.” Sunday Express (May ’08)
Since joining Rambert as its Artistic Director in 2002, Mark Baldwin’s creative vision through music, dance and design, ‘Rambert’s creative triangle’, has never been more prevalent than with the creation of Eternal Light. Merging several different artforms, Baldwin collaborates with some of the finest, award-winning talent that Britain has to offer.
Composer - Howard Goodall. British composer, Howard Goodall, has received numerous international awards for his musicals, choral music and TV & film scores. Goodall, Classic FM’s 2008-9 Composer-in-Residence, is probably best known for his many, much-loved TV themes including Mr Bean, Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley and Q.I. Commissioned by Mark Stephenson on behalf of London Musici (Rambert Dance Company’s Associate Orchestra) to create this new score, Goodall’s Eternal Light: A Requiem, by arrangement with Faber Music Ltd, will be released internationally by EMI Classics in September 2008.
Designer - Michael Howells. Instinct and imagination earned production designer Michael Howells the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at the British Fashion Awards in 2007. Alongside working on sets for films such as Shackleton, Emma and Bright Young Things, editorial work for Vogue and Vanity Fair, fashion shows for McQueen and Lacroix as well as Galliano’s various projects – Howells, Rambert’s Associate Designer, adds sparkling crystals donated by Swarovski and sumptuous design to Baldwin’s Eternal Light.
Milliner – Stephen Jones. Stephen Jones burst onto the London fashion scene during its explosion of street style in the late seventies. By day, he was a student at St Martins; after dark he was one of the era’s uncompromising style-blazers at the legendary Blitz nightclub. With contemporaries hungering for his individuality and clients clambering for his idiosyncratic designs, Jones soon became the milliner of choice for rock stars and royalty. Over a quarter of a century on, and with permanent collections in the Victoria & Albert and Louvre Museums, Rambert Dance Company joins Marilyn Manson, Gwen Stefani and Alison Goldfrapp as clients of a true British style icon.
‘Hats off to conductor Paul Hoskins for the glistening, glamorous veil of orchestral colour he drew from London Musici in the pit. Pure magic, and worth the ticket in itself.’ Independent on Sunday (May ’08).
In addition to Eternal Light at The Lowry, Rambert will perform Swansong by Christopher Bruce and the hugely athletic Anatomica #3 by André Gingras.
Posted on Friday, 08 August 2008 under Press Theatre Press