Patria 8 opens tonight in Haliburton

R. Murray Schafer's Palace of the Cinnabar Phoenix opens tonight at the Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve. Palace is the 8th chapter of a massive 12-part series of music dramas entitled Patria. John Terauds writes in the Toronto Star:

And just as Bavaria's King Ludwig II gave Wagner the means to construct an opera house in Bayreuth, so Haliburton Forest owner Peter Schleifenbaum and Patria Music Projects made it possible to erect a permanent 600-seat amphitheatre this summer.

This has allowed Schafer and company to add to the visual drama. "We're going to have four dragon boats all lit up on the lake," says [producer] Macerollo. "There will also be four archers shooting flaming arrows."

Stagings begin at 6:30 p.m., so the progression from daylight to dusk is part of the experience.

Link to Terauds article in the Toronto Star
Patria home page with more info
Photos and reviews of the 2001 production
Another Patria site
Canada Council artist profile of R. Murray Schafer
Paul Steenhuisen interview with Schafer in Wholenote Magazine (Sept. 2001)
World Soundscape Project article in the Canadian Encyclopedia

Image hosted by Patria.org