Metamorphosis
Saturday 6th 18.15 & Sunday 7th August, 15.15
4-Legged Productions
Words and music: Gavin Wayte
Baritone: Marcus Farnsworth
Piano: Gavin Wayte
Synopsis
Overnight, an ordinary man turns into a human-sized bug. This is the story of his first day.
Scene 1 – In the attic. A flash forward to the end of the day. The bug-man tries to make sense of what has happened to him.
Scene 2 – On the roof. The bug-man, having revealed himself to his family, escapes to the roof of his house. There, he has a transcendental experience.
Scene 3 – In the town. He comes down from the roof and goes into the town to find his family and patch things up. He is fascinated by what he finds en route.
Scene 4 – The attack. The bug-man is attacked by the people in the town, including his wife.
Scene 5 – In the attic. After the attack, the bug-man escapes home and hides in the attic.
The making of this video has been kindly
supported by The Boltini Trust
Genesis
Metamorphosis – monodrama in five scenes, based on an idea by Franz Kafka.
In Metamorphosis, I take the single idea of a man who turns into a human-sized bug as a starting point to create a musical drama. What would it be like for any of us to turn into such a bug? How could this happen? What effect would it have on our lives? How would we survive? In this composition, I seek to imagine how it would be for any one of us to become a bug!
Metamorphosis was premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, as part of the Special FX series. Subsequent performances have been for the BBC Philharmonic’s Ink Still Wet programme, and at the Royal Northern College of Music as a Spotlight event. Future plans for Metamorphosis involve its expansion into a staged work for greater forces.
Metamorphosis has been nominated for a British Composers Award, Vocal category, and is an Arts Council England commission.
