Welcome to the KHAOS website.
Composer Don Macdonald and writer/librettist Nicola Harwood have been commissioned by the Amy Ferguson Institute to write a full length opera called “KHAOS”, a re-imagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter that reinforces our understanding of the seasonal cycles of death and regeneration. Set in a mythical present, KHAOS will highlight the voices of two central female characters, a central male character and be supported by large chorus and orchestra.
KHAOS is slated to premiere in March 2012.
Subscribe to our online blog where you’ll be able to follow the path of this opera from conception to completion.
Listen to audio demos from composer Don Macdonald as he builds the musical component of this work and read about the development of the libretto under the pen of Nicola Harwood. The audio presented here is being used for demonstration purposes only. Since KHAOS is a work in progress the music should be considered ” in development”. The final work may be played by a large orchestra or small chamber orchestra but at the moment all musical examples are recorded with modern musical sampling software. Vocalists on the recordings are Don Macdonald and Allison Girvan.
3 Comments
C Ragan · April 15, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I heard parts of this opera on CBC. When are you going to tour Ontario? Are you going to bring your show to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa? C Ragan
admin · April 16, 2012 at 6:47 am
I’m sorry to say that the opera will not be touring outside of BC. The logistics of moving that many people around are just too great. If you would like to hear a performance of Khaos in your area please contact your local opera company and suggest they mount the work.
All the best,
Don
audrey johnson · May 15, 2012 at 7:58 pm
A wonderful experience to be in the audience in Creston on Mother’s Day to hear this fresh and invigorating work. Demeter’s aria was so poignant for me, as a mother who myself experienced the loss of a newborn. I realized the universal them of grief and loss in such a personal way, her voice and interpretation left me in tears. Magnificent. And Persephone singing ‘Chill ..Dark” called up the same sort of emotion lost between worlds, and trapped there. This is a performance I will always remember, ranks with the recent hearing of Mozart’s requiem in a live performance in a beautiful cathedral in France. Same chills and huge emotional impact. Thank you to the composer and entire cast and crew for an unforgettable afternoon of music. Deeply moving and beautiful on all levels.