Lizzie Borden

One Act Ballet commissioned by Nashville Ballet
Choreography: Paul Vasterling
World Premiere at the Polk Theater, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville, October 26th 2017

Choreographer and Artistic director, Paul Vasterling originally created a ballet based on the story of the legend of Lizzie Borden in 2006, using Morton Gould’s original music, composed for Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend (1948). For his 2017 revival, Vasterling opted for reworking the ballet to a new streamlined score by Philip Feeney. The composer worked closely with the original choreography, enabling the choreographer to hold on to the substance of what is a dark and menacing piece.

The score is a proto-minimalist score composed for three musicians, clarinet, cello and piano, who are accompanied by additional electronic textures provided by dark and ominous soundscapes, which add a further musical dimension. These soundscapes are mostly made up of clarinet multiphonics, either supplied live by the clarinettist, or treated electronically to create a sinister backdrop to the dark narrative.