Cormack presents his findings about Shanawdithit to the members of the Beothuk institute.
A short scene, sampling the wedding scene where Elaine screams for Ben.
A celebration of iconic Hitchcock film moments, sampling from The Birds.
A celebration of iconic Hitchcock film moments, sampling from The Man Who Knew Too Much, Psycho, and The Birds.
A deconstruction of moments in The Sound of Music.
Her health fading, Shanawdithit wonders if she’ll be welcomed into the spirit world after so much time with the colonists. Cormack tells her he must leave, and Shanawdithit gives him a sketch of his house to carry with him. He leaves the room to pack. Shanawdithit hears the spirits of her people calling her name. It is time. One spirit in par...
Shanawdithit describes the last days of her family as they were pushed from their land and then hunted. She asks Cormack not to speak of their death, but of their life. Cormack is ecstatic and gets lost in the memories Shanawdithit paints. She breaks his reverie with the cold fact that the life she speaks of will never happen again. She colla...
The taking of Demasduit weighs heavy on Shanawdithit’s heart. Cormack, unsure of what to do, tries to comfort her, saying Demasduit was treated well. Shawnadithit asks if white people actually care about her people, her story, because Cormack’s words are betrayed by the actions of his fellows, and indeed, his own. Cormack insists he will ensu...
Cormack’s study in St. John’s, now Shanawdithit’s room. “Nancy April” reveals she can speak English quite well, and tells Cormack her real name: Shanawdithit. Cormack asks her where the rest of her people are, where her home is. Shanawdithit says simply: they are no more. Shanawdithit reflects on the loss of her people and the taking of her a...
Cormack meets Shanawdithit for the first time. She’s been working as a servant for Peyton for five years under the colonial name of Nancy April. Cormack is awed; he believes this woman is the last of the Beothuk. Peyton gives her to him, saying she’s useless.
Shanawdithit reprimands Cormack for his saviour complex.
Shanawdithit, dying, speaks to her ancestors. She is ready to leave this world.
The two voices—representing two different worlds, two cultural paradigms—sing together. The texts are “The Death of Dighenis,” a poem about a Byzantine hero, and the Dies Irae.
An instrumental interlude.
An instrumental interlude.
A setting of twelve statements of the words “Kyrie Eleison” (“Lord Have Mercy Upon Us”), a standard orthodox ritual practice.
An instrumental interlude.
“Christos Anesti”, the Byzantine Easter chant of the resurrection, is sung in Greek by the mezzo-soprano, while the alto intones and whispers similar texts from the Islamic faith.
An electroacoustic setting of an old Sufi song composed by Muhammad ‘Uthman (Egypt 1855-1900). The texts are considerably older; they were written by Sana’ il-Mulk (Egypt 1155-1211). The text is a poetic adoration of clouds: “O clouds adorn the crowns of the hills with garlands/And make the bending stream a bracelet for them/O sky...
A long setting of the word Alleluia, revisiting the multitude of themes and musical genres that have appeared in isolation in the work so far.