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B.L. Foxley & Felix Jarrar's Stardust

With dreamlike music by New York City composer Felix Jarrar and a fantastical libretto by London-based poet B.L. Foxley, the visual extravagance of the final filmed version of “Stardust” belies its microbudget. Read more >>

Zoe Madonna, The Boston Globe

MOP 20

Stardust

Composer: Felix Jarrar | Librettist: B.L. Foxley

In Ancient Greece, The Fates or the ‘Moirai’ ruled over fate and each of the three Fates would give a portion of life. Nona, the spinner, spun the thread of life, Decima, the allotter, measured its allotted length, and Morta, the unturning, cut it off with her shears. Symbols that have been associated with them over time are the Thread and the Shears.
At the core of Felix Jarrar and B. L. Foxley’s Stardust is a call to push back at the fate that society would assign us. John de los Santos brilliantly weaves the many themes addressed in the piece (inequality, racism, self- doubt, depression, discovery and power) as the Fates weave their thread.

INSPIRATION

Andy Warhol
Greek mythology
Fantasy

The first challenge in creating a visual world for the three songs of Stardust to coexist in was decoding a commonality in the texts. This trio of B. L. Foxley’s evocative poems were not written to be performed as such, but Felix Jarrar selected them for their visceral imagery and musical potential. They cover a range of confrontational topics including inequality, racism, self- doubt, depression, discovery and power. There are also pervasive references to myth in the texts, which struck me as the key to their commonality. Whether it be the ancient symbolism of Mother Nature, the threatening figure of the Devil, or the myth of contemporary racial justice.

I decided to portray the singer not as one personality, but three. Specifically, the Greek Moirai or Fates, one for each song. Spinning the thread of mortal life, measuring its length, then destroying it with their fatal shears, these three sister goddesses watch as humanity continues to fight and fold against itself. Visually, I wanted to take this concept even further by combining influences from two artists who have profoundly shaped my aesthetic: Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon. Warhol’s film with Paul Morrissey, Chelsea Girls, and Bacon’s tryptic portraits (particularly of George Dyer) struck me as perfect frame for realizing the songs’ and poems’ mythic potential. The film will contain not one, but three simultaneous screens so that each Moirai can be seen at once, reacting to and reveling in each sisters’ song. Because I was stipulated to use mobile devices to record the footage, this version of Stardust can also serve as a souvenir of mankind’s current reliance on Zoom to remain connected. I believe that this tumultuous period will one day acquire a mythic status of its own, with such works as Stardust serving as a reminder of the creative impulse and the its unwillingness to be measured or cut.

My song cycle Stardust with text by B. L. Foxley is about a conglomerate of different themes and ideas that peacefully coexist within the cosmos of the work’s three movements. These poems were not written together. Rather, the ordering was selected by me with the poet’s blessing. The first song, “What am I?”, is about the multi-racial experience. The second song, “The Devil”, is about how you can be your own worst enemy. The piano part represents the manifestation of the Devil within the singer. The third and final song, “Mother Nature”, based on a story by B. L. Foxley, is about nature’s double-edged sword. As the songs progress from topics of the self to the larger picture of the world, the singer and pianist musically catapult themselves into the ether. 

Stardust is a tribute to my love of the fantasy genre. I believe the arts, be it an oil painting or a 50,000-word novel, are an escape from reality. For me, fantasy is the ultimate form of escapism—a world without boundaries.

In a society riddled with prejudice, trauma, and violence, I wanted to depict the realities of 2020 for a person of color finding solace in their craft, questioning their artistic worth before finally escaping into a world of fantasy, embodying utopia.

As a writer, I love being able to connect with people through my writing. Adapting my poetry into music is an opportunity to breathe new life into my writing. Music breaks through religion, politics, sexuality, and race, connecting people at their core. To be a part of that is a magical experience.

Stardust is a tribute to my love of the fantasy genre. I believe the arts, be it an oil painting or a 50,000-word novel, are an escape from reality. For me, fantasy is the ultimate form of escapism—a world without boundaries.

In a society riddled with prejudice, trauma, and violence, I wanted to depict the realities of 2020 for a person of color finding solace in their craft, questioning their artistic worth before finally escaping into a world of fantasy, embodying utopia.

As a writer, I love being able to connect with people through my writing. Adapting my poetry into music is an opportunity to breathe new life into my writing. Music breaks through religion, politics, sexuality, and race, connecting people at their core. To be a part of that is a magical experience.

As a child, Andrea Bocelli was my introduction to classical music. I was entranced by the emotion driving every lyric. The first opera I saw was Madame Butterfly and since then I have been mesmerized by the world of classical music. To now have my writing as a part of that world is an accomplishment I will cherish for years to come.

CAST

Soprano

Victoria Davis

Pianist

Felix Jarrar

CREATORS

Writer

B.L. Foxley

Director

John de los Santos

Assistant Director

Keith Browning

Lightbox Artist

Fabian Hernandez

Editor

Julien Rohel

Sound engineer

Ken Silber

PANELISTS

Panelist

Melinda Lopez

Panelist

Chay Jones

Panelist

Jasmine Rice Labeija

Panelist

Malcolm Hansen

Panelist

Sika Dagbovie-Mullins

PRESS

The Boston Globe

With dreamlike music by New York City composer Felix Jarrar and a fantastical libretto by London-based poet B.L. Foxley, the visual extravagance of the final filmed version of “Stardust” belies its microbudget. 

Read more >>

I Care If You Listen

“Davis’ warm tone breathed life into the divergent characters…The most striking aspect of Stardust was its filmography and visual language. De Los Santos’ visuals for Stardust draw parallels to the lived experiences of artists during the pandemic.”

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Schmopera

“It was beautifully sung and acted by Victoria Davis, who navigated the score’s prosody with an incredible command of the material and a wonderfully full voice, and communicating quite a lot with facial expressions….I found it quite invigorating, and it was certainly a night at the opera I enjoyed as a whole package.” 

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Houston Chronicle

“One of Helios’ primary goals is to make opera seem more accessible (read: less elitist), which they hope to do in part through productions that — at least during the pandemic — are heavily influenced by film and music videos. “

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