Mirror, mirror commercial release
Mirror, mirror was released as an EP on March 5, 2021.
Stream it here:
https://leaf-music.lnk.to/LM2009
Watch the pre-film chat here: Composer Chat
Watch the film here: Mirror, mirror on YouTube
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
Essential Opera is going live on October 28, 2020 with a première of our video version of Anna Pidgorna’s incredible opera, Mirror, Mirror. Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Originals initiative, Essential Opera recorded audio and video for this project while following strict guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Essential Opera presents
Mirror, Mirror
by Anna Pidgorna
YouTube Video Première
Wednesday, October 28
8pm AT/ 7pm ET/4pm PT
HOW TO ATTEND:
Visit Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/2914575395453495) and/or YouTube (https://youtu.be/YRHKr9mG8a4). You can set a reminder in both places to be sure you won’t miss out.
Join us on October 28, 2020 at 8pm Atlantic time (check your time zone!) for the première of the film!
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Producer: Essential Opera
Music and libretto: Anna Pidgorna
Evil Queen/Mother: Erin Bardua, soprano
Snow White: Maureen Batt, soprano
Voices in electronics: Erin Bardua, soprano
Camera operators: Erin Bardua, Maureen Batt, Richard Belding, Elizabeth Jewett, Vicki St. Pierre
Audio recording: Leaf Music
Film editor: Tom Belding
Poster design: Tom Belding
Original artwork visual score: Anna Pidgorna
Wardrobe and make-up: Erin Bardua, Maureen Batt
Mirror, Mirror is a mini-opera based on the Grimm fairy tale Snow White. This story uses the Snow White/Evil Stepmother template to look at how women and their relationships with one another are affected by external pressure to be forever young and beautiful. In the piece, the loving Mother Queen is transformed into the Evil Queen, triggered in part by her own obsession with her looks and how she is perceived, and in part by her daughter Snow White’s transformation from a child into a beautiful young woman. Snow White, meanwhile, in absorbing her mother’s messages about the paramount importance of beauty, is in turn destined to become an Evil Queen in her own right.
The characters embody the triune relationship of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, both in how they interact with one another and in that every woman will be each of the three during her life. The Crone represents the logical conclusion of the Queen’s path; the Queen at one point would have been innocent and fresh like Snow White; Snow White is, by the end of the piece, well on her way to becoming a Queen. As a final act of (self?) sabotage, the Crone provides Snow White with the instrument of her destruction: an apple as poisonous as it is beautiful.
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Anna Pidgorna is a Ukrainian-Canadian composer, vocalist and multi-media artist who combines sound, visual arts, writing and carpentry to create works that are dramatic and picturesque. She works extensively with Ukrainian folk singing, draws inspiration from the natural soundscape, and incorporates visual elements into some of her manuscripts. Her work has been commissioned, performed and recorded by soloists and ensembles in Canada, USA, Uruguay, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, Poland, Ukraine and South Korea. She holds a PhD from Princeton University, an MMus from the University of Calgary, and a BA from Mount Allison University. She lives in New Westminster, BC.
HISTORY OF MIRROR, MIRROR
This 15-minute work was originally written for solo voice and electronics. It was created for and premièred by Janice Isabel Jackson in 2012. In 2015, Anna created a stunning visual score you can see here: (http://www.annapidgorna.com/mirror-mirror-on-display/). In 2016, Essential Opera programmed it for our “She’s The One” production, where Anna adapted it for two voices: sopranos Julie Ludwig and Maureen Ferguson. Now, EO co-founders and co-ADs Erin and Maureen are thrilled to present this work in a short film.
