Sierra Casady & Gael Rakotondrabe present Cellar Door
Date: 7 June 2008
"It looked like it was to be a busy evening as both bar and exhibition were buzzing with people, grabbing a drink and the chance to take in the late night opening of Cellar Door."
Gabriel Green
As Euro 2008 kicked off on Saturday I boarded my bus for the ICA, looking forward to a night that promised to offer an equally enjoyable although slightly different form of European entertainment. That’s right, our French counterparts Stage of The Art were returning from across the Channel bringing a unique collaboration between Sierra Casady, aka Rosie from avant-folk duo CocoRosie , pianist Gael Rakotondrabe and the violinist Thomas Roussel . Tonight they would be performing their interpretation of the Cellar Door opera libretto/installation/art concept by the young French artist Loris Greaud currently on show in the ICA gallery. It looked like it was to be a busy evening as both bar and exhibition were buzzing with people, grabbing a drink and the chance to take in the late night opening of Cellar Door, before the show began.
One hallmark of the previous Stage of the Art events had been excellent support acts so I settled into my seat eager to see what openers Nelson had to offer. Well, they certainly didn’t disappoint… This Parisian electronic artrock four piece consisting of JB Devay, Gregory Kowalski, David Nichols and Thomas Pirot took to the stage with their strong harmonies and delightful melodies. Playing a one-off acoustic set with a basic setup of a couple of guitars, a tambourine tied to a snare, one drum and a mini toy vocoder keyboard, Nelson practised a form of musical chairs as all four swapped instruments and seats for each different song, exemplifying their versatility and charm. They say there is strength in numbers and Nelson certainly proved this, sharing vocal duties throughout and singing together in great unison, not to mention impeccable English. Turning the electronic anthems acoustic also seemed no problem for Nelson and it allowed their musicianship and lyrics to shine, notably on ‘Silence in your mind’. As the eight song set came to an end Nelson mentioned that the new album, Revolving Doors, is out September time in the UK and they were also coming back to the ICA, with their usual fully amplified set, on July 11th for the grand finale of Stage of the Art.
After a brief interlude and a bag of tasteless sweets courtesy of the Celador machine , I slipped back into the theatre wondering how the geodesic dome patterned carpets, light emitting speakers and automatic shutter doors of Cellar Door were to translate into music. A sense of anticipation filled the theatre as the lights went low and Rakotondrabe began to play. Setting the mood with gentle flicks of piano all heads turned as Casady and singing accomplice Florence Fritz emerged from back stage in a quite stupendous double dress. Joined at the hip the two singers shared their black Victorian outfit resplendent with a huge crinoline supported skirt and lavish lace trimmings. Completing the look both wore ghostly make up and Casady had a small ancient book in her blackened hands whilst Fritz carried a music box, calling to mind everything from Gothic inspired Victorian séances to Tim Burton films.
Casady soon started to show off her beguiling yet classical voice; trained in opera she ranged through scales with delicate poise and bewitching intensity all the while accompanied by the subtle piano of Rakotondrabe. Equally a performance piece as much as an opera, the singers huddled together sharing whispers and meaningful glances before, during and after each song. Joined by Roussel and a cellist the sound began to evolve and show a darker side akin to the Cellar Door. Throughout this bizarrely beautiful and entrancing sound we were treated to exquisite moments of musicianship from all present, including a harp solo from Casady and a storming piano crescendo from Rakotondrabe. Whilst it proved difficult to discern much in the way of lyrics there were certain repetitions of phrase and song, when one singer would finish another’s line, that echoed one of the themes at the very heart of Cellar Door – doubling up and repeating. After they finished their dreamlike and engrossing set the audience applauded loudly for all the performers on a special night and as people drifted out of the theatre I had a quick chat with our very own Gemma Tortella who summed the evening up nicely as “CocoRosie meets Jane Campion’s The Piano.”
Book tickets for the fourth and final Stage of the Art event featuring These New Puritans, Nelson and Zombie Zombie by clicking here .
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