Harry Partch's Delusion of the Fury Revived by Japan Society of New York

On Tuesday, December 4th, Harry Partch's large scale musical theatre work Delusion of the Fury returns to the stage in a new production commissioned by the Japan Society of New York. Based on two Japanese noh plays and an African folktale, Delusion of the Fury expresses the theme of reconciliation by the living with life and death. Though a musical theatre work, there is no libretto; all action is danced or mimed and it comprises of four sections which proceed without interruption. The Japan Society's resurrection of the work is the first staging since its world premiere in 1969.

Celebrated theater artist and MacArthur Fellow grantee John Jesurun directs the production alongside award-winning composer/conductor and Newband founder Dean Drummond as music director and choreographer Dawn Akemi Saito. The production makes use of Partch's original instruments, performed by the Newband, a nine-member ensemble that specializes in the music and instruments of Harry Partch. For the pre-performance lecture on December 6, W. Anthony Sheppard, musicologist and Professor of Music at Williams College, discusses the important influence of Japanese theater and music on Harry Partch's career. The run of Delusion of the Fury at the Japan Society commences on Tuesday December 4, with three more performances on Thursday, December 6, Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8.

For more information on the life and work of Harry Partch, visit www.schott-music.com.

Please visit www.japansociety.org for more information on this production of Delusion of the Fury.

Harry Partch
Delusion of the Fury- A Ritual of Dream and Delusion (1969)