Sublime Illusions - Noh Reimagined, a weekend of Noh performance & workshops at Kings Place

Noh Reimagined - Kings Place - mu:arts

Noh Reimagined; Kings Place
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on 29-30 June 2018
Star rating: 5.0 (★★★★★)
A weekend of performance & workshops exploring Noh theatre, focussing on the Mugen Noh play "Izutsu (The Well Curb)"

Izutsu Yoshimasa Kanze (Photo Shinji Aoki)

As part of their world music programme, Kings Place hosted a weekend of Noh theatre, No Reimagined, 29-30 June 2018 with concerts, talks, neuroscience and workshops. As a Noh novice I threw myself in to the experience. It became apparent that the audience was wide ranging, from those connecting with their cultural heritage (identifiable from their tabi socks in the workshop and kimonos at the concerts) to the curious but uninformed.

Like any classical art form, Noh is steeped in incomprehensibility for the uninformed. Imagine, if you have only listened to pop music, going to a foreign language opera for the first time without reading the synopsis and without surtitles. Only, at this opera there is no acting as you know it, instead there is a very minimal ballet going on, where the hand gestures have significance, but you do not know what they are. The main actor wears a mask and gorgeous oversized costume, which prevents ordinary body language from seeping through. On top of this add 650 years of refinement and stylisation to the music and you are there.

However, what this weekend did so well, with its gently enthusiastic explanations and the recurring common thread of the Mugen Noh play "Izutsu (The Well Curb)", was to bring the audience together - regardless of experience. Carrying everyone along to the splendid finale on Saturday night.

The weekend opened with a welcome from the Managing Director of Kings Place, Robert Reed who introduced the collaborators in the project curated by Akiko Yanagisawa (mu:arts). This was followed by a brief history of Noh by Professors Semir Zeki and Atsushi Iriki, and their interest in Noh from the perspective of neuroscience.

They explained that Noh theatre was developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami in the 14th century, and that most of the 240 plays still performed have been preserved in their entirety. Noh encompasses ideas, such as beauty being half perceived, but totally felt; an altered perception of time; events happening out of sequence; the audience becoming the music; and ambiguity allowing for multiple/ individual interpretation. Overall this means that the audience is required to do some work and be engaged with the play rather than passively observing. The two professors touched on how a specific part of the brain is involved in understanding abstract ideas and how this is essential in Noh for perceiving yūgen, the invisible beauty that is felt not seen.

Consequently Noh is not simple to learn - children begin at the age of three and may become professionals by the age of thirty. It was also explained that new Noh tend to take on the form and spirit of classical Noh rather than be faithful reproductions.

Pop up: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Popup Opera - Il Barbiere di Sivigla

Rossini Il Barbiere di Sivigla; Joseph Doody, Leif Jone Ølberg, Flora McIntosh, Tom Asher, Emily Blanch, James Hurley, Berrak Dyer; Popup Opera at the Brunel Museum
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Jun 22 2016
Star rating: 4.0
Lively and intimate touring performance of Rossini's comic perennial

PopUp Opera have yet another outstanding production in Rossini's 1816 opera buffa "Il Barbiere di Siviglia", with Joseph Doody, Leif Jone Ølberg, Flora McIntosh, Tom Asher, Emily Blanch, directed by James Hurley, musical director Berrak Dyer.

I saw the performance on the 22 June 2016 at the Brunel Museum, which has undergone a transformation since my last visit. Congratulations have to be in order for the museum's tenacity in opening up this historic and atmospheric space. Gone is the hole which you needed to crawl through to gain entrance. Gone are the scaffolding and rickety stairs. Instead there is a grandiose steel and wood staircase, which dominates the back of the cylinder. Despite their size, the new stairs somehow manage not to impose their personality on the rest of the space, allowing it to retain the original faded-industrial feel. The old entrance is just visible high up on the wall.

The bar, which previously had been someone selling bottles and crisps from a table in front of the museum, is now a stylish roof top terrace with plants, heaters and cocktails.

Pop up opera, who you may have heard on BBC Radio 4 if you are an Archers fan, was founded in 2010 by Clementine Lovell and joined in 2012 by Fiona Johnston as Producer and in 2014 by Berrak Dyer the Musical Director and pianist. This production was directed by James Hurley.

Club Inégales travels to Korea

Gamin playing the saengwhang

Korean music & improvisation; Gamin, Hyelim Kim, Notes Inégales, Peter Wiegold; Spitalfield's Music Summer Festival
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Jun 15 2016
Star rating: 4.0
Eclectic mix of Korean music and improvisation

As part of the Spitalfield's Summer Festival, last night (15 June 2016) Club Inégales found a new home at Wilton’s Music Hall for a late evening performance of Korean music by Gamin and Hyelim Kim, plus an eclectic improvisation between Gamin and Hyelim Kim and the house band, Notes Inégales.

Gamin was classically trained in jeongak (Korean court music) and sinawi (shaman ritual music), however, she is also interested in bringing traditional instruments into a contemporary setting, including composing her own music, and creating a modern sound by integrating with orchestral instruments and electronic techniques. She has released several albums of her music and has collaborated in the production of art installations to critical acclaim.

Hyelim Kim is an ethnomusicologist at SOAS and is interested in traditional Korean culture and how this has been transformed throughout history. As well as a performer she is a composer in her own right and has also released an album showcasing traditional and contemporary music.

Hyelim Kim with her Taegŭm

Gamin began the concert with a recital on the piri, a double reed bamboo oboe with open finger holes. The sound was extraordinarily loud for such a small instrument and the music somewhere between eastern and oriental. Much of the piece sounded as though rooted in one or more pentatonic scales, while the tone of a double reed oboe, style of vibrato and slides/ornamentation reminded me of eastern European/ Persian styles. Histories of Korean court music suggest that Korean music and instruments, while having Chinese or religious influences were also subject to local invention - hence the unique sound.

The saengwhang is an ancient Korean instrument made from 17 bamboo pipes with an entirely individual sound. Gamin explained that they are very rare, but there has been a resurgence in interest and now new instruments are becoming available. It is the only Korean wind instrument capable of playing chords (Korean music not being based on harmony) and traditionally it was used in chamber ensembles and would be used for "calm and gentle" music. Tonight however she played for us her own composition of atmospheric meanderings based on a traditional melody.

Something delightful from something old - L'Avventura London and The Old Blind Dogs

L'Avventura London

Orpheus Caledonius; L'Avventura London, The Old Blind Dogs, Siobhan Miller; Spitalfields Music Summer Festival at St Leonard's Church, Shoreditch
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Jun 10 2016
Star rating: 4.0
Period performance and folk come together in this exploration of William Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius collection.

Siobhan Miller - photo James Morrison

A baroque/ folk mashup is not what you would normally expect from a Friday night (10 June 2016) at St Leonard's Church in Shoreditch. But this is exactly what Spitalfields Summer Music Festival has done. Based around William Thomson's 1725 book of Scottish songs Orpheus Caledonius, L'Avventura London, The Old Blind dogs and Siobhan Miller made something delightful from something old.

William Thomson (1695–1753), originally a Scot, moved to London in around 1722. He was a collector of traditional Scottish music and retained many Scottish students. Orpheus Caledonius is his collection of Scottish songs which, unusually for their time, have their tunes and some ornamentation and accompaniment attached. Such was his lasting influence, described L'Avventura London's director Žac Ozmo during the preconcert talk, that other composers such as Haydn produced settings of these songs.

The Old Blind Dogs - photo Louis DeCarlo

Ozmo further said that the aim of the concert was to "depict[...] as close as possible the emotional context of the time" and to explore the cultural differences between high art and folk music, explaining that "the divide was very porous in the 18th century".

The two sides of the project also talked about the differences in learning music. The baroque group read and learn from music, while Siobhan and Aaron from the folk groups described their difficulty with the written notes, because theirs is an aural tradition with each student learning and then putting their own stamp on it. Some of the songs in Orpheus Caledonius are still performed today, although because of this process the music is different.

This written account by Thomson is therefore a "snapshot" in time. So while the performers were interested in the historical account provided by Orpheus Caledonius, especially because it is in Old Scots dialect and some of the words are no longer used, they were not too worried if in learning the music they made some changes. For one well known song, The Broom of Cowdenknowes, they decided to use the old lyrics and the modern version of the tune, and for Highland Laddie they expanded the one line melody to produce a more complex song.

Quiet time for ruminations: listening for silence with Steven Osborne

Steven Osborne - copyright Benjamin Ealovega

The Music of Silence, music George Crumb & Morton Feldman; Steven Osborne; Milton Court Concert Hall
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on May 31 2016
Star rating: 4.0
Pianist Steven Osborne on trying to play the piano as quietly as possible in George Crumb and Morton Feldman

Last Tuesday night (31 May 2016), in the Barbican's Milton Court Concert Hall, Steven Osborne (1971-) indulged his lifelong fascination with "trying to play the piano as quietly as possible" in a concert based around the piano music of Morton Feldman (1926-1987) and George Crumb (1929-). In a pre-concert talk with BBC Radio 3's Tom Service, Steven Osborne explained how his preoccupation had begun very early when learning to play, and how, for a pianist, silence can still be a "tactile experience". For example he spent time investigating what happens to a piano's reverberation when a pressed key brings a hammer to the strings but no audible sound is heard. He compared this to Crumb's reported interest in the way that birdsong appears to hang in the air.

This led into a discussion about the nature of silence in music. Osborne talked about Feldman having a "profoundly different sense of what music is" and that it is "difficult to define what he [Feldman] is doing... he wants sounds with no attack, no beginning or end". However, Osborne continued, the final effect is like a bedtime story where you are not told the story but are given the space in which to imagine it.

Osborne described himself as a traditionalist saying that "I find myself disengaged [...] without narrative". He explained that he prefers music with traditional notation because having to practice for a performance means that the performer cannot be spontaneous - giving the example that things that might sound the same are often written in several different ways and have to be rehearsed to be understood.

Finally, with a humorous anecdote about Bach's Passion, he asked for no applause between the pieces - nor at the end.

Reminding people why it is good to sing - The Choir with No Name at Chorus 2016:

The Choir With No Name at the Southbank Centre's Chorus Festival

This weekend (19 & 20 March 2016) was the Southbank Centre's Chorus Festival, where choirs from around the UK sing at various locations within the Southbank. Amongst the choirs performing was the fantastic Choir with No Name which deserves a special mention.

The Choir with No Name provides rehearsals with a meal for homeless men and women. Since they started with a single group in 2008, they have expanded and currently there are four choirs, two in London, one in Birmingham and one in Liverpool. Regular gigs help raise money to keep the charity afloat. I first saw them last Christmas, filling the stage at the Royal Festival Hall, and bringing their own indomitable approach to the festive season. Upcoming gigs include a comedy night in London, and a spot at 'Community Spirit 2016', in Birmingham. 

On Saturday (19 March 2016) their fearlessness and enjoyment easily put other choirs to shame. There may have been nerves, but these were well hidden, and with no music to hide behind, the choir infected the audience with their enthusiasm. Well done to the performers, musical directors, and the team for reminding people why it is good to sing.

Hilary Glover

The Mahogany Opera Group: The Rattler

Stephen Deazley & Martin Riley The Rattler; Matthew Sharp, Mahogany Opera Group, dir: Frederic Wake Walker; Royal Festival Hall
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on March 19 2016
Star rating: 4.0
Part musical, part interactive play, part puppet show, a whimsically gothic show for children

Starting off their 2016 tour, the Mahogany Opera Group performed 'The Rattler' at the Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre as part of the Southbank Centre's Chorus Festival. An 'opera' for children, this event made the most of the space available with pre-performance crafts - costume and percussion instrument(rattles and whisks) making - in the big open space behind the bar (Clore Ballroom). This segued into group song learning, led by members of the cast, so that the children (and adults) could join in as everyone paraded into the stalls of the main hall. The songs also appeared during the performance, allowing the audience to be part of the action as townspeople, and to have another opportunity to sing.

Mahogany Opera Group - The Rattler workshop
photo James Berry

The Mahogany Opera Group has existed in its present form since 2014, however it has roots going back to 2003 with Mahogany Opera, and to 1997 with The Opera Group, whose productions such as Kurt Weill’s 'Street Scene' in 2008 have won awards.

Directed by Frederick Wake-Walker 'The Rattler' is a retelling of the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Martin Riley, who provided the libretto, has a solid background in writing for children, having worked on classics such as 'Grange Hill' and 'The Worst Witch', and for stage and opera including 'The Face In The Mirror' and 'Killing Cousins - a Tudor Time Travel adventure', for the Welsh National Opera.

Stephen Deazley, who composed the music, has also had his work performed by the WNO with 'The sleeper' and 'Little book of monsters'. He an exponent of youth music and is the founder and musical director of the Scottish-based music education charity, Love Music. In 'Death's Cabaret - A Love Story'. Both Riley and Deazley have previously collaborated with Matthew Sharp, who in this production played the lead role of Hob of Hobsmoor.

LPO firsts: Julian Anderson ‘In lieblicher Bläue’

Carolin Widmann
photo credit Marco Borggreve

Maurice Ravel, Julian Anderson; Carolin Widmann, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski; Royal Festival Hall
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Mar 14 2015
Star rating: 4.0
A thing of beauty, Julian Anderson's new violin concerto

Julian Anderson continued his collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) at the Southbank Centre with the world premiere of 'In lieblicher Bläue' a poem for violin and orchestra (14 March 2015). Written for, and performed by, Carolin Widmann 'In lieblicher Bläue' was a thing of beauty and, as usual, the LPO conducted by Vladimir Jurowski was outstanding.

Julian Anderson (1967-) has been composing since he was eleven. His talent was nurtured by a list of great names including John Lambert, Alexander Goehr, Tristan Murail, Olivier Messiaen, Per Nørgård, Oliver Knussen and Gyorgy Ligeti. He is now a teacher himself - he was the Head of Composition at the Royal College of Music, then taught at Harvard University, but currently is the Composer in Residence and Professor of Composition at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

He has won numerous awards both for his composition and recordings, and is known for his orchestra and large scale works such as the 2013 opera Thebans.

'In lieblicher Bläue' was based on the poem written by the 18th century poet Friedrich Hölderlin, a text which also inspired Hans Werner Henze's 'Kammermusik 1958'. While it is essentially a concerto for violin and orchestra Anderson described it as an “increasingly lyrical meditation on images gleaned from the Hölderlin poem” with the violin representing the poet and the orchestra a context for the poets thoughts.

East of Tallinn: Orient music festival Part III - concerts

Ensemble Indra from Japan, Orient Music Festival, Tallinn - photo credit Hilary Glover

After the first day of the Orient music festival, organised by Tiina Jokinen (from Estonia Record Productions: ERP) and composer Peeter Vähi, with its ethnomusicology conference, film premiere, and after show party in the Latvian Embassy, the music could really begin.

The first concert was the spectacular Indra, Taiko drummers from Japan. Ensemble Indra (Ishizuka Yū, Ishizuka Eri, Inoue Nanase, Ōkawa Masashi, and Motoyama Yūhei) are a family-based group founded in 2013 by Ishizuka Yū (the eldest son of a well-known noh musician (hayashikata) Mochizuki Saburō).

In Hinduism, Indra is a heroic god, who slew the stone dragon and freed the seven rivers. He is the King of gods as well as being the god of rain and thunderstorms – quite apt for this group of cheerfully fierce drummers. Indra are as much about show and choreography as they are about music and have incorporated hayashi and buyō styles into their routine as well as noh and kabuki.

Extra atmosphere was added to their performance by the venue. The weather was fortunately dry enough for the audience to sit outside (with cushions and blankets provided) so that the concert could take place in the Japanese gardens of Kadriorg Park.

East of Tallinn: Orient music festival Part II - Workshops and masterclasses

Orient Music Festival workshop - picture credit Hilary Glover

Orient Music Festival; Tallinn, Estonia
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on May 25 2015
Star rating: 5.0
An immersive exploration of the music and cultures and the East

The Orient music festival (25-31 May 2015) began with an ethnomusicology conference. But the rest of the week-long festival focused on workshops, demonstrations, and concerts. With the mornings free to explore Tallinn (or to gone one of the free tours run by local young people who bring 800 years of history to life) and the evenings full of concerts, the afternoons could be devoted to an more immersive approach to culture.

The afternoon workshops, held in a huge tent next to the President’s Palace in Kadriorg Park, included a tour of Taarab music by Mitchel Strumpf and demonstration of quanun playing by Samir Ally Salim (both from the Dhow Countries Music Academy in Zanzibar). Here, although there are thousands of maqam, we were showed the difference between a few of the nine most commonly used such as rast (major scale), hijaz, bayati, and Kurd. Since Taarab orchestras contain instruments with fixed tuning such as accordion, and maqam involve microtones, either the orchestra has to limit itself to playing a few maqam or players have to learn to miss notes out. This workshop was given in English, and for the Estonian people in the audience there was a translator. Samir took people through a song and taught them to sing the chorus while he played.

Pop up: L'Italiana in Algeri... Or the showgirl in Vegas

Rossini - L'Italiana in Algeri - Pop-Up Opera - Picture credit: Richard Lakos

Rossini L'Italiana in Algeri; Helen Stanley, Oskar McCarthy, Oliver Brignall, Bruno Loxton, dir: James Hurley; Pop-Up Opera at the Brunel Museum
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Jun 8 2015
Star rating: 4.0
Sparky updating of Rossini's comic gem

Pop-Up opera out did themselves last night with yet another triumph. 'L'Italiana in Algeri'... or rather 'The showgirl in Vegas', performed at the Brunel Museum, was a delightful example of their ability to bring opera into the laps (sometime literally) of the audience.

Directed by James Hurley, and with the orchestra deftly played by Berrak Dyer on keyboard, the entire opera was based around the backstage area at a Vegas show. A couple of racks of dressing up clothes provided the costuming, a chest of cleverly chosen objects, projected videos, and repurposing of lighting and cables provided the props. But don't let low budget be confused with low rent, this company can hold its own against any of the big players.

Renowned for bringing opera to unusual spaces such as rooms above pubs and cafes, boats, caverns, tonight the show was in the now defunct access shaft for the Thames tunnel at Rotherhithe.

I did wonder how a circular cylinder bored into the earth would work as a concert venue, and, although small and difficult to get into (entrance was via a crawl space and a descent down what felt like rickety scaffolding), it actually worked very well. The curved walls meant that performers could turn away and sing into the wall and the audience hear reflected sound. A makeshift bar on the terrace in front of the museum provided the interval drinks.

Enlightenment: searching for a way out

Ligeti Quartet at New Dots - photo Cathy Pyle

George Crumb, Anna Meredith, William Dougherty, Ji Sun Yang, Wadada Leo Smith, Tom Green; Ligeti Quartet; New Dots at Hoxton Basement
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on May 31 2015
Star rating: 4.0
George Crumb's Black Angels and some modern responses

Last night (31 May) New Dots presented the Ligeti Quartet performing George Crumb's 'Black Angels' and a supporting programme by Anna Meredith, William Dougherty, Ji Sun Yang, Wadada Leo Smith and Tom Green. The concert, in Hoxton Basement was beset by broken strings and broken chairs, yet managed to retain (or perhaps because of it) a certain honesty and freshness.

Picture credit - Hilary Glover

The Ligeti Quartet, Mandhira de Saram (violin), Patrick Dawkins (violin), Richard Jones (viola) and Valerie Welbanks (cello), have been playing together since 2010 and are as at home playing Beethoven as they are experimenting with up and coming composers. They have collaborated with New Dots before in a workshop which included the composers Tom Green and Ji Sun Yang.

New Dots is a organisation dedicated to the promotion of new music. They bring together composers and musicians in concerts and workshops, with the aim of showing audiences how accessible and relevant contemporary classical music can be. Their concerts include talks by the composers about their works, plus tonight there were scores displayed, and an opportunity to talk to the artists after the concert. They have a blog where they discuss the music they are interested in.

Although written more than 45 years ago 'Black Angels: Thirteen Images from the Dark Land' (1970) still has the power to excite and horrify. Written to express his feeling about the Vietnam war and social unrest in the US, it juxtapositions classical and experimental techniques, such as playing wine glass harmonicas and gongs, bowing between the fingers and the pegs, amplification "to the threshold of pain", and percussive effects.

Queen of Spades at English National Opera

Queen of Spades - English National Opera - photo credit Donald Cooper

Tchaikovsky Queen of Spades; Peter Hoare, Giselle Allen, Felicity Palmer, dir: David Alden, cond: Edward Gardner; English National Opera at the London Coliseum
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on Jun 6 2015
Star rating: 3.5
Gothic horror riot, with fine individual performances

Felicity Palmer - photo credit Donald Cooper

ENO's 'Queen of Spades' was a Gothic horror riot. Directed by David Alden, choreographed by Lorena Randi and with music conducted by Edward Gardner, there was just enough humour to offset the dark and dangerous themes.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) wrote 'Queen of spades' in 1890 in only 44 days. Depressed and exhausted with the public life of a composer in Russia, Tchaikovsky disappeared to Florence to write. He had already planned to work on Alexander Pushkin's1834 story 'Queen of Spades', basing the opera on a libretto written by his brother Modest and theatre manager Ivan Vsevolozhsky. The two brothers collaborated throughout, with Pyotr Ilyich ruthlessly cutting and rewriting Modest's work as he sped through the composition. 'Queen of Spades' had its premiere later that year in St Petersburg, and was an immediate success.

Following 'Eugene Onegin' in 1878, and 'Mazeppa' 1883, this was the third of Pushkin's stories to be set by Tchaikovsky. The story was already popular and gamblers believed in the luck of the 3, 7 and Ace prophesied to be winning cards. In more modern times a Russian TV quiz show uses Herman's aria from Act 3 as its theme tune.

Hunting: Gathering with the Duke Quartet

Kevin Volans -  Photograph: Nick Miller/PR

Kevin Volans, Gavin Bryars, Max Richter, John Metcalfe, John Tavener; The Duke Quartet; Kings Place
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on May 22 2015
Star rating: 4.0
A programme around Kevin Volans second string quartet

Last night (22nd May) the Minimalism Unwrapped series at King's Place continued to unfold with the Duke Quartet's exploration of Kevin Volans' 1987 work 'String Quartet No. 2 Hunting:Gathering' and supporting works by Gavin Bryars, Max Richter, their own John Metcalfe, and John Tavener.

The quartet consists of Louisa Fuller (violin), Rick Koster (violin - also Smith Quartet who performed the European Mavericks at Kings Place last month), John Metcalfe (viola), and Sophie Harris (cello). They have been playing together for more than 17 years and play across Europe, and the world, working with contemporary composers including Kevin Volans, but they have also collaborated with pop musicians such as Morrissey, The Pretenders, Blur, Catatonia, Simple Minds, The Cranberries, Pete Doherty, and The Corrs, and with the dance company Rosas.

Their 2002 album of Volan's compositions ('Hunting:Gathering') received a Gramophone Award nomination, and their latest CD includes Steve Reich's 'Different Trains' which they performed last year at King's Place – a review can be found here.

Myths and magic with Londinium

Londinium - photo Eric Richardson

Josquin des Prez, Ola Gjeilo, Schumann, Brahms, Phillips, Monteverdi, Gounod, Martinu, Del Tredici
Reviewed by Hilary Glover on May 15 2015
Star rating: 4.0
From mythical beasts to Alice in Wonderland, a feast of storytelling in music

Last night's concert (15 May 2015) by Londinium brought old and new storytelling songs to St Sepulchre without Newgate in Holburn. From Josquin des Prez to Ola Gjeilo, with stops via Schumann and Brahms, the set of stories included mythical beasts (Unicorn, Phoenix and Hydra) and heroes (Alice in Wonderland, Ariadne, The King of Thule, Orpheus, Bunyan's Pilgrim and Robin Hood).

Led by their enthusiastic musical director Andrew Griffiths, Londinium like to play around with the wide acoustics in St Sepulchre and began with quadraphonic sound for H. Garrett Phillips' (1941-1991) 'Odysseus and the Sirens'. Here the choir effortlessly invoked the sound of the sea as a ship carried Odysseus towards and passed the sirens calling his name.

1849 was the centenary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's birth and to mark the occasion Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) wrote 'Der König von Thule' a setting of the 1774 poem by Goethe, which tells the story of an ancient King who, as he was about to die, drank one last time from the splendid golden cup given to him by his lover on her deathbed before hurling the cup into the sea.