Steve Reich and Beryl Korot's opera Three Tales combines live music with prerecorded audio and video to explore man's relationship with technology in the twentieth century. Following a successful Cambridge run last year, contemporary music group Ensemble BPM are now bringing their production to the Tête à Tête Opera Festival at Hammersmiths' Riverside Studios – the first time the opera has appeared in London since its première in 2002.
The tales of the title look back on the Hindenberg disaster, nuclear tests on Bikini Atoll and the cloning of Dolly the Sheep. While interviews and archive footage are cut and manipulated on screen, live musicians recall and reflect on these world-changing events, creating a fusion of cinema, opera and theatre.
Ensemble BPM say the show is "an essential experience for everyone affected by technology". It's also a rare treat for anyone interested in the exploratory power of film and music.
Three Tales is at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith at 19.45 on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th August. Tickets are £6, or £4 for concessions, and can be
booked online.
