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November 06, 2006
Orf's Immolation
Orf's Immolation will be presented at the ICMC Conference (International Computer Music Conference) in New Orleans, Nov 6 - 7, 2006.
ORF'S IMMOLATION was originally created as a site-specific performance
work, presented as the closing event of Mardi Gras, New Orleans, February
28, 2006, 11:00 pm - 12:00 am CST. ORF'S IMMOLATION was performed
by a solo tenor (Orf) accompanied by a mobile audio-visual system enabling
video projection and sound distribution in a multimedia walkthrough of the
streets of New Orleans. ORF'S IMMOLATION was executed from
Washington Park in the Marigny Triangle to the St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson
Square in the heart of the French Quarter. Images of the hurricane and its
aftermath, drawn from broadcast news footage, were projected on the caped
figure of Orf (derived from the myth of Orpheus), while he sang classic
American songs (blues, jazz, and spirituals) set to an original electronic
composition. ORF’S IMMOLATION confronts social and political conditions
in America that led to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. The work underscores the necessity of the active observer during perilous times, as Orf
metaphorically ‘absorbs’ the imagery of horror and devastation of Katrina
culminating in a fiery self-immolation in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. The
act of immolation is intended as a symbolic gesture evoking defiance,
catharsis, purification and rebirth. ORF’S IMMOLATION attempts to recover
and reclaim what is sacred and what is at risk, what is fragile in the unique
culture of New Orleans.
Posted by Randall at November 6, 2006 01:10 PM