Welcome to Leviathan backstage. I’m super excited to have the world premiere in SA Museum this November. Thank you for making it happen! Find sheet music, rehearsal tracks, rehearsal and performance dates, costume info and info about the work.
Give me a hoy if you have any questions.
PERFORMANCE
2 November
SA Museum - North Terrace
11am 12pm 2.40pm
CALL FOR FINAL RUN 9am
The performances will be in the foyer. CALL FOR FINAL RUN 9am. Come to the back door and ring the bell.
We need to fill out forms for induction. I’ll hand these to you to read and sign when you get there.
The program for the full day is here https://www.chambermusicadelaide.com.au/ontheterrace2025
This festival is a free ‘just rock up’ public arts event. There are cool things happening through the day. Chamber Music Adelaide is awesome.
STAGE MOVES
From Nick 29 October
I. Call
Chorus sit on floor – ocean movement.
Soloists on Bench (Nick joins after Bell ringing)
II. Captains of Industry
Soloists stand on their solo lines. – Strong Patriotic physicality
Chorus stand on final “devils” bar 49-50
Full ensemble – 1 patriotic step forward on “Stars” Bar 51
Emlyn and Mark stand on bench after bar 51.
Emlyn and Mark step off bench after singing solo line
Chorus “There is yet God Like” move to front.
Soloists move Bench perpendicular and stand up stage at back
Chorus At end of phrase bar 74 – quickly move to Boat ‘V’ shape around bench.
III. No Majestic Drums
Chorus Pull movement on “Pull pull”
FOOT STAMPS on bars 80 “I”, 82 “I”, 84 “rise”, 86 “world”.
Then forward & back Stamps on the beats from bar 88 – 92.
Chorus Pt1 (Basses) positions at front of bench
Chorus pt2 (Tenors) positions at front & middle of bench once Basses begin singing bar 100.
Soloists pt3 positions either side of bench once Tenors begin singing bar 112
Chorus on final “Sea” bar 136, slowly move /dissolve up stage to the back.
Soloists move downs stage to front on solo line – Emlyn begins.
Bar 177 – Chorus slowly move forward down stage to front. Soloist slowly move upstage to back. “There will be no majestic”
IV. Vanished
Chorus “The Stately Ships” Pt1 move to bench Bar 185. Stand either side of bench
Chorus “The Stately Ships” Pt2 move to bench Bar 188. Stand either side of bench
Chorus “The Stately Ships” Pt3 (remaining singers) move to bench Bar 190. Stand either side of bench.
Chorus pick up bench together on bar 197 as Soloist sings “But Oh”
Chorus (Pall Bearers) slow steps forward for rough 1 metre (Remain facing front)
Soloist move around either side of chorus from bar 208.
Ensemble remain still until the end.
FEES
Deets as per email sent 31 July. (I’ll resend 20 of October)
For soloists: invoice rehearsals to Jodie O’Regan. You can send this through after our final rehearsal on the 19th of October. Please include super details.
Invoices performance fees to Chamber Music Adelaide. Please provide super details.
For Festies: invoice Jodie O’Regan
BEAT THOUGHTS
SHEET MUSIC
I’ve gone for a hybrid between full score and parts with cues, so we don’t end up with 3 bars per page but you can still see what’s going on. This means there are separate scores for choristers, baritones and percussion.
B1 Mark, B2 Alex, B3 Nick, B4 Emlyn
MUSIC UPDATES
16 September Repeat bars 177 - 179
COSTUME JOBS
BEFORE OCTOBER 11 EVERYONE send Clare an EMAIL
put together what you’ve got (scroll down for inspo) and send a selfie to designer Clare. claire.langsford@gmail.com
OCTOBER 12 FESTIVAL STATESMEN at REHEARSAL
Clare will visit for 10 mins. Clare do you want Festies to be in costume or just bring them?
OCTOBER 19 EVERYONE at REHEARSAL
Please come in costume. Clare will train us in chain application.
REHEARSAL TRACKS
Baritone Soloists
Choristers
There is a divisi 8 part section, hence 8 tracks. Most of the score is TTBB.
Full Mix
COSTUMES
from Clare Langsford
The look we are going for is mid to late nineteenth-century whaler with a supernatural twist. Soloists and performers will be dressed as a whaling crew in working men’s clothing which will be overlaid with chain, rope and net decorations created by the production team. Imagine the whalers have been dredged from the bottom of the ocean…
To assist with cost, comfort and fit we’re asking if the cast could please search their own wardrobes for suitable clothing that they would be willing to wear or share with others. The production team will purchase additional items to supplement the outfits as needed.
When looking at your own wardrobe feel free to think creatively about items that would create the right look and feel. If you’ve got a great jacket in polyester or pleather they could also work. Think vibes rather than strict historical accuracy.
For further inspiration you can check out historical photos or films and television shows such as The North Water, The Terror or The Lighthouse.
From your wardrobe:
Hats
Woolen beanies (preferably without prominent logos)
Fisherman’s/mariner’s caps
Sou Westers
Shirts
Work shirts (preferably worn) especially in denim, linen or dark flannel
Older business shirts could probably work in a pinch
Singlets or long-sleeved T-shirts that could pass for 19th century underwear
Trousers
Wide legged trousers, higher waists if possible
Denim jeans
Outerwear
Knitted jumpers, especially cable knits
Worker’s jackets
Denim jackets
Pea coats
Long coats in wool or leather
Shoes
Work boots such as Doc Martens
Riding boots
Plain black dress shoes can probably work if they’re not too shiny
We could probably have some cast barefoot if the venue is okay with this
Accessories
Scarves
Suspenders
Belts
Please note: The removable chain and rope accessories will be draped on top of the costumes and/or fastened with safety pins. Please let us know if there are any items that you don’t want pinned, taped etc.
WHAT IS LEVIATHAN
This is the first movement of a large work I am slowly writing. I’ve previously written and premiered the second and third movements.
I started the work during the pandemic when I was living in Victor Harbor and saw live whales for the first time. I was inspired by the history of whaling in Victor, from slaughter, to 100 years of empty ocean, to a gradual return of whales when the area was declared a sanctuary. As the work has progressed, the algal bloom has become a new SA ocean catastrophe and the theme of devastation/hope has taken on a new angle in the music.
This first movement is inspired by the nineteenth century industrial hunger for whale oil, as well as the experience of a whale hunt.
Musically, there is an antiphonal relationship between the baritones and the choir.
So first section - the choir is the call of the sea. The baritones are the men responding to the call. Second section is more united - and diagetic might be the best way to describe it. It's everyone performing the role of people singing and instruments playing a hymn. A hymn of propoganda. Third section the choir is the boat, the waves, and the descending leviathan pulling the boat down. The baritones are the whalers. In the last section the choir is the ship sailing away and the drowned baritones sink to the bottom of the sea to join the whale. Whale-fall and men-fall.
The baritones are a 4 in 1 character. the "men". I was thinking, rowing in a whale boat, or the machinery of the industrial age - both literal machines in factories and the machinery of Empire - require co-ordinated actions. So the men are a co-ordinated force.
Working Music. This is men in physical work. Strong. Muscular. Bangy. Clangy. Shouty. I think this is why I want some of the percussion created through movement. So the men's physical work is part of the score, and the added percussion is really important to the world.