Five Ways to Die of Love

For a woman, defending her rights is inevitable. It is not enough to construct an object of art, but it must serve as an inspiration and stimulus. Those who die more of love or are sacrificed more for love, in opera, in literature and in life are women. They atone for the sins of the world.If there is a beautiful way to die, it is to die of love.

An experience that music – particularly opera – has always explored, elaborating it and lending it cathartic form. Catarina Molder brings us, “Five Ways to Die of Love”, a musical and scenic show that ranges from the sultry post- Romanticism of Ernest Chausson (whose Chanson Perpétuelle is haunted by the shadow of Ophelia) to Clã’s pop atmospheres, as well as António Chagas Rosa’s tribute to Iseult’s tragic love and the baleful Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk, an opera by Shostakovich that brings to the stage the delirium of a woman who kills – and kills herself – for love. The show will also include the world premiere of A Virgem Louca (The foolish virgin), a piece by Luís Soldado, inspired by the frenzy of Rimbaud, the most beautiful among damned poets. Featuring a string quartet and stage direction by Lígia Roque, Cinco Formas de Morrer de Amor outline this suicidal and liberating itinerary, which is finally presented in Lisbon, as part of the 1st edition of LIEDFEST.

“Chanson Perpétuelle”, Chausson
“It will just be me”, António Chagas Rosa
Excerpts Lady Macbeth de Mzensk Shostakowitch
“The foolish virgin” Luís Soldado
“Competence to love” Clã

Premiere and co-production: TNSJ Oporto October 2016