The Revenger's Tragedy
By Thomas MiddletonDirected by Melly Still
Adrian's third score for the National, and his second for director Melly Still.
A ferociously dark play by Thomas Middleton, set in an avaricious world that seethes with vice and retribution. As he holds the skull of his beloved - who rejected the licentious old Duke's advances and so was poisoned - Vindice plots the Duke's grotesque murder. But in a court where adultery, rape and incest are the norm, his vengeance does not stop there. An orgy of ritualistic, even playful, bloodletting follows.
Revengers soundtrack now available on iTunes! Click the button on the left..
The score for The Revengers Tragedy is a collaboration between Adrian and electronica/house producers Different Gear (Gino Scaletti and Quinn Whalley). It began life over dinner at Melly's house in late 2007. The idea was to create a musical world that brought together modern-day, ecstatic club sounds with something that resonated with the Jacobean period in which the play was written and set.
Throughout the workshop and rehearsal period in early 2008, Adrian,
Gino and Quinn worked together, often creating material directly in the rehearsal room, then finessing final mixes at their respective studios.
Gino and Quinn's material was built around the use of Ableton Live, while the live musicians included a string trio (violin-viola-cello),
counter-tenor and bass recorder.
Adrian also performed as a violinist/violist in the play, sometimes on stage.
Listen to Andrew Dickson's podcast at the Guardian website, featuring clips from the music and interviews with Adrian and members of the cast.
5 STARS: London Paper, Mail on Sunday, Sunday Telegraph
'Represents the National Theatre at its very best... bold and brave not only in the way it has been executed but also in its timing.'
Sunday Telegraph
'Bloody dance of sex and death strikes all the right notes'
Evening Standard
'Club music, gothic interiors, sarcastic humour and some heavy daubs of gore.. an insistent coup de theatre.'
Daily Mail
