Death of Gesualdo

Following 25 cities of largely sold-out performances, The Gesualdo Six reunite with director Bill Barclay to create a follow-up to the hit international immersive tour, Secret Byrd. Six dancers enact stunning tableaux vivant, filled with iconography to superimpose Gesualdo’s psyche onto his most chilling music. The result will be the boldest look yet at how the life and music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows.

The madrigalist Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613) may be most famous for murdering his wife and her lover in bed, but among composers he is revered for anticipating chromaticism by 200 years. Gesualdo’s tortured mind led him into a life of violence and suffering, concluding in appalling tales of sorcery and flagellation. However shockingly macabre his biography is, the Prince of Venosa’s malignant narcissism can be traced to key incidents from his upbringing in the zero-sum game of Catholic politics.

Performed by The Gesualdo Six (director Owain Park) with six dancers
Created and directed by Bill Barclay
Choreographed by Will Tuckett
Produced by Concert Theatre Works

Commissioned by The Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, The National Centre for Early Music in York, and Music Before 1800 in NYC.