Rough Trade Records

Antony and the Johnsons: Antony & The Johnsons: Swanlights With The Britten Sinfonia At The Royal Opera House

Camille Augarde — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:57:58 +0100

We are excited to announce that The Royal Opera House will present the first London performances of Antony and The Johnsons: Swanlights with the Britten Sinfonia on 25 and 26 July 2013.

Tickets (£25-£100) are on sale now from the box office: 020 7304 4000 or online at
www.roh.org.uk/swanlights

This extraordinary performance piece was originally commissioned by New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and was presented at Radio City Music Hall in January 2012 to great acclaim; later in 2012 Swanlights enjoyed huge success at the 2012 Melbourne Festival.

Swanlights is an evolution of Antony and The Johnsons: The Crying Light, presented at the Manchester Opera House for the 2009 Manchester International Festival featuring songs from all four of Antony and the Johnsons’ albums – self-titled, The Crying Light, Swanlights and Mercury Prize winning I am a Bird Now.

This performance includes the Britten Sinfonia, with orchestra arrangements by Nico Muhly, Rob Moose and Maxim Moston. Envisioned as a meditation on light, nature, and femininity, Swanlights is produced in collaboration with light artist Chris Levine, lighting designer Paul Normandale, set designer Carl Robertshaw and lighting director Emma Westerberg.

Of the performance, Antony says:

“It took so long for the Universe to dream of this place.
I thank the earth everyday for making me transgender, because it makes me like an animal, beyond the providence of Christians and patriarchies. I live on the outskirts of society, and I have become feral and intuitive.
Circles of mothers, please usher in an era of profoundly feminine governance. Let a circle expand across the world, through governments and businesses and homes and laboratories and prisons and schools.
Because I don’t want your future. I hope when I die, that I never return to your world. I will go where the trees go, I will go where the wind goes, where the birds go; I will leave you all to enjoy the world that you are creating for your children.
I want then to be a dead body at the bottom of the lake. Gut me with sticks and stuff my body full of lavender crystals. I want my spirit to jump out of me, refracting in the crazy water. I will go with all my friends, the Wild Life.
When I find the Swanlights, my eyes cry species, casting green and gold upon the black water. When a horse jumped from a dolphin’s body, a crystal white shard of living light pierced through my gut like a whaler’s spear; it tore through my stomach, that revealing curse. Apollo calls his prey, and sirens sweat the bluebell’s coarse toward thin spiral memories. I ache, the white plateau…. So grant me absence, that the golden threads may rise at last, my eyes dumb blind and donefold.”

– Antony

“…gorgeously appointed cries from the heart, crashing like waves…a private supplication sumptuous enough to enthrall Radio City.” – New York Times

“When the curtains finally closed on the 90-minute performance, the sold-out Radio City crowd…blasted the theater with thunderous applause.” – Billboard

“It was that rare kind of performance that breaks your heart only to have the pieces lovingly reassembled, down to the tiniest, most tender bloody shard.” – BrooklynVegan

“Layered screen projections and lasers swept the darkened theater, gradually revealing the singer in these ethereal surrounds…and everybody cried.” – Time Out New York

Rough Trade Records

Antony and the Johnsons: Antony & The Johnsons: Swanlights With The Britten Sinfonia At The Royal Opera House

Houndmouth: Watch Houndmouth Cover Billy Bragg + Wilco

Houndmouth: Houndmouth Release Video For 'On The Road'

British Sea Power: Watch British Sea Power On The Review Show

news: Pulp VS Soulwax For Record Store Day

Alabama Shakes: Watch Alabama Shakes Perform At The White House

Palma Violets: Palma Violets Release Video For 'We Found Love'

Houndmouth: Houndmouth Announce Debut Album ‘From The Hills Below The City’

The Strokes: The Strokes Release Video For 'All The Time'

British Sea Power: Watch British Sea Power's 'Machineries Of Joy' Video

Palma Violets: What Palma Violets Got Up To In NYC - Yours Truly Documentary

British Sea Power: Pre-Order British Sea Power's New Album + Demo Tapes

The Strokes: Listen To The Strokes' New Single 'All The Time'

British Sea Power: Hear British Sea Power's New Single 'Machineries Of Joy'

The Strokes: The Strokes Announce Fifth Studio Album 'Comedown Machine'

British Sea Power: British Sea Power Announce New Album 'Machineries Of Joy' + UK Tour

Palma Violets: Watch Palma Violets' 'Step Up For The Cool Cats' Video

Palma Violets: Hear Palma Violets' New Single 'Step Up For The Cool Cats'

Pantha du Prince: Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory Release Video For 'Spectral Split'

Pantha du Prince: Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory 'Elements of Light' Coming 14th January...