Bound

Info

Performances

• November 19-21, 2018 - Against the Grain Theatre (concert version). The Great Hall, Toronto.
• March 27, 2022 - Against the Grain Theatre (film version).

Reviews

• "The emotive power of his score, its ability to seize and terrify as it hurtles from structure to anarchy would certainly seem to provide graphic evidence of something far more than a mere contractual undertaking... Building on Ivany’s own pre-existing libretto, a sprawling framework of repurposed arias courtesy George Frideric Handel set for unaccompanied piano, the young Toronto Symphony Orchestra New Creations Festival sensation has essentially deconstructed the Baroque, bending and remolding forms, pushing on to the point of expressionism. Musical comparisons are few. The odd flash of Gershwin in jazzy lyrical passages. Messiaen at the other extreme. What originates in the realm of tunefulness relentlessly ebbed and flowed over the course of an impossibly brief hour, tonality dissolving into dissonance, harmony shattering into a jangled kaleidoscope of acidic colours. Restless, impulsive, profound, Lau’s music tore at the emotions, a soundscape with no landmarks, a cruel and painful world." - Ian Ritchie, Opera Going Toronto



• "Lau's brilliant creation evokes quite enough nausea and unease, starting with the eerily familiar-yet-fake "national anthem." [His] score is perhaps rooted in a style that is Handelian, and he makes lovely use of some of the old master's tunes (Handel did his fair share of "borrowing," after all), but he constantly breaks free from the baroque and into sound worlds that tell of the detainees' despair, anger, and crazed defiance. His musical language turns the orchestra into a storytelling medium, one that surrounds the individual stories of Naveen Dewan (Andrew Haji), Ahmed Habib (Justin Wlesh), Kelly Davidson (David Trudgen), and Noor Haddad (Miriam Khalil.) Apparently Bound was Lau's first foray into writing for the voice; armed with the support of the voice-friendly Handel, the composer seems an astonishingly quick study." Jenna Simeonov, The Globe and Mail



• "The abruptness of some transitions felt purposeful and despite the disparate musical styles, the overall effect was unified and consistently evocative, a testament to Lau’s accomplished arranging." Dylan Schoenmakers, Opera Canada



• "BOUND v.2 is a stunning piece of music..." Greg Finney, Schmopera



• "Kevin Lau's reconstruction of a variety of extracts from Handel's vast catalog of compositions struck a tottering balance between showcasing one of the most celebrated composers of the classical repertoire in its original form — and enticing a modern audience with the experimental synth-tracks, glitches and contortions available to the digital soundscape." Michael Zarathus-Cook, Schmopera
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• "...Kevin Lau meets Handel in a dark alley. [The score] creates a dense and complex soundscape from which the familiar melodies emerge almost as a statement of hope. I would rate this score a real success." John Gilks, Operaramblings



• "The variety [Lau] offered is helpful sometimes deliciously different, occasionally dissonant. The ear was toyed with but mostly caressed... It might be the edgiest thing AtG have ever done." Leslie Barcza, Barczablog




Articles



• "Opera in the age of Trumpism" - Against the Grain Theatre



• "By Leaps and Bounds: Iterative Opera from AtG" - The Whole Note



• "Lives in Limbo" - Ludwig Van Toronto




Promotional Videos