A Distant Drum
music theater by Christopher Hope, libretto and Ralf Schmid, composition
premiere: 28 october 2014, UBUNTU Festival @ Carnegie Hall NY
- Daniel Hope, Artistic Director and Violin
- Christopher Hope, Libretto
- Ralf Schmid, Music Director, Composer, and Keyboards
- Vincent Segal, Cello
- Jason Marsalis, Percussion
- Michael Olatuja, Bass
- Andrew Tracey, Music Supervisor
- Nat Ramabulana, Actor
- Christiaan Schoombie, Actor
- Themba Mkhize, Digital Choir-Recordings, South Africa
- Mannie Manim, Producer and Lighting Design
- Jerry Mofokeng, Director
South Africa’s Volksblad called A Distant Drum, “world class …” and said its musical score is “breathtaking and fits the production perfectly.” This remarkable multimedia music theater production about iconoclastic South African writer Nat Nakasa’s journey from Johannesburg’s Sophiatown to New York City during the turbulent 1960s receives its US premiere at Carnegie Hall. The production features violinist Daniel Hope with a libretto—called “a literary work in its own right” (Volksblad)—by his father Christopher Hope. Arranged and composed by Ralf Schmid, the music features African, European, and American musical styles with live electronics, creating a soundscape that reflects the bizarre world of Apartheid and its impact on a brilliant life. Heartbreaking and at times darkly humorous, A Distant Drum, is unforgettable.
Wann hat man denn die Möglichkeit für solch ein Erlebnis in Deutschland ?