Description
A Winged Victory for the Sullen, the composer collaboration between Stars of the Lid founder Adam Wiltzie and L.A. composer Dustin O'Halloran, are set to release new album âInvisible Citiesâ on the 26th February 2021, the stunning score to the critically acclaimed theatre production directed by London Olympics ceremony video designer Leo Warner and produced by Manchester International Festival, Rambert, 59 Productions and Karl Sydow.
Premiering at Manchester International Festival in July 2019, Wiltzie and O'Halloran were commissioned by Manchester International Festival, Rambert, Brisbane Festival, Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival, Sadlerâs Wells, SMG Live, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Cultural Centre (JACC) and Karl Sydowto to compose the music for the 90-minute multimedia stage show adapted from Italo Calvinoâs 1972 novel. Centered on the tense relationship between Kublai Khan, the volatile head of a vast empire, and explorer Marco Polo, âInvisible Citiesâ brings to life a series of fantastical places and disparate worlds through the medium of theatre, music, dance, design and visuals. Described by The Sunday Times as âa beautiful frenzy of movementâ, âInvisible Citiesâ was originally conceived as a touring project with its last performance in Brisbane, Australia before COVID-19 changed the world as we know it.
Transformed into 45 minutes of breathtaking beauty, âInvisible Citiesâ opens with the numinous âSo That the City Can Begin to Existâ, as Wiltzie and O'Halloran draw breath from distinctively enthralling and vastly expansive worlds. The ominous soundscapes of âThe Dead Outnumber the Livingâ contrast with the new beginnings that are presented in âEvery Solstice & Equinoxâ, while the jagged and uneasy âThirteenth Century Travelogueâ is one of tension and dread. Elsewhere, âThe Divided Cityâ captivates and intrigues while âOnly Strings and Their Supports Remainâ and âThere Is One of Which You Never Speakâ are bold roars for survival before the choral ambience of âDesires Are Already Memoriesâ and piercing drones of âTotal Perspective Vortexâ bring down the curtain on a spectacular and incredibly emotive body of work. Released on their own Artificial Pinearch Manufacturing label, âInvisible Citiesâ comes as part of an agreement with A Winged Victory for the Sullenâs current label, Ninja Tune