Some fantastic news in the form of a booking to make my solo debut at the Proms in Debussy’s Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. Fortuitously, the librettist for this piece was Gabriele d’Annunzio, whose eleven poems entitled Madrigali dell’Estate form the lyrics of a song cycle written for me a few years ago by Stephen McNeff. Debussy’s incidental music for D’Annunzio’s mystery play appears complete for the first time in Proms history. The original production featured costume designs by Leon Bakst of the Ballet Russes and so scandalised the Archbishop of Paris (St Sebastian portrayed by a woman AND a Jew) that he forbade all Catholics from attending. The show closed shortly afterwards.
The performance is part of Prom 56 on Saturday 25 August, 2012.