Paris 1916 - Erik Satie, The Velvet Gentleman 
- 1998 Opera Production 

I came into the world very young in a very old era. - Erik Satie

The music hall, cabaret, circus and concert stage fueled the imagination in turn of the century Paris and the mind of one of its most enigmatic composers. "Who was Erik Satie? An eccentric, idealist, anarchist, angel, diletante, communist, medievalist and mystic but above all an artist. His independent uncompromising spirit coupled with child like innocence shocked, charmed, and perplexed with a new vision of music, art, and life which reverberates to this day" comments Graham Cozzubbo, stage director and driving force behind Paris 1916. "A journey through the window of Satie's memory, the show is an imaginary re-creation of his life through music."

THE REPERTOIRE

Repertoire to be featured includes three rarely performed Satie works:

• le Pièce de Méduse (Medusa's Snare) - Written by Satie in 1913 for four actors, piano, and a dancer, this dada precursor is a bizarre one act farce with musical interruptions and a dancing monkey.
• Parade - A ballet created in 1917 with a scenario by Jean Cocteau, music by Erik Satie and sets originally by Pablo Picasso. Described by Cocteau as "a conglomeration of every extravagance, likely to astonish the public", the piece is scored for four handed piano, sirens, lottery wheel, water puddles, typewriter, and revolver.
• Socrate - A symphonic drama written by Satie in 1919 for soprano and piano with text after Plato's Symposium. "Spellbinding... Satie put all his sensitivity, all his heart into Socrate. It is beautiful, honest and simple"; Henri Sauget.

Other repertoire will include songs and piano music from Erik Satie, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy.

PERFORMERS: Rayanne Dupuis - soprano; Doug MacNaughton - baritone; Walter Wittich - dancer; Gregory Oh and Stephen Philcox - piano; actor TBA.

CREATIVE TEAM: Graham Cozzubbo - concept and stage director; Michael McMahon - music director; Walter Wittich - choreographer; Gavin Semple - designer; Linda Babins - lighting designer.

CREATIVE TEAM BIOGRAPHIES

When will we break the habit of explaining everything? - Erik Satie

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