What is Lemi Ponifasio's "Sea Beneath the Skin"?

"Sea Beneath the Skin" is an innovative music-theatre piece that merges Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" with Pasifika chants, created by Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio.

How is Mahler's music presented in "Sea Beneath the Skin"?

Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" is performed by the Britten Sinfonia using an arrangement for 16 players and features vocal performances by Sean Panikkar and Fleur Barron.

What is the main theme or approach of "Sea Beneath the Skin"?

The piece offers a sensory appeal and stimulates the imagination, presenting a unique artistic perspective on themes rather than delivering a lecture.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Samoan Vision Transforms Mahler's Masterpiece

Samoan Vision Transforms Mahler's Masterpiece

3 Feb

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Summary

Lemi Ponifasio merges Mahler's song cycle with Pacific chants.
The performance uses a reduced orchestra of 16 players.
It offers a sensory appeal rather than a climate change lecture.

Samoan Vision Transforms Mahler's Masterpiece

Samoan choreographer Lemi Ponifasio has created "Sea Beneath the Skin," an innovative music-theatre piece at Barbican Hall, London. This production ambitiously intertwines Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" with Pasifika chants, performed by Theatre of Kiribati and the Britten Sinfonia.

The performance features striking visual elements, including kauri tree pillars and evocative video projections. Singers Sean Panikkar and Fleur Barron deliver Mahler's songs with intense passion, while a chamber ensemble of 16 musicians, in Iain Farrington's arrangement, brings a unique texture to the music.

Described as a work in progress, "Sea Beneath the Skin" eschews a didactic approach to climate change. Instead, it appeals directly to the senses and imagination, offering a distinctive and absorbingly different perspective when compared to other works on the theme.