THE JULIET LETTERS Will Be Performed at fortyfivedownstairs
The song cycle was created by Elvis Costello in collaboration with The Brodsky Quartet.
Melbourne string quartet The Crossing Machine (violinists Marianne Rothschild and Matthew Rigby, violist Margaret Butcher and cellist Charlotte Jacke) will be joined by pop vocalist Jordan Z to perform The Juliet Letters, a genre-defying song cycle created by Elvis Costello in collaboration with The Brodsky Quartet. The performance is on Friday 1st May at 7:30pm.
The Juliet Letters was originally released in 1993, is a sequence of letters written to Shakespeare's Juliet, revealing a gallery of fractured lives, longing, regret, and dark wit. The Crossing Machine Violinist Marianne Rothschild began working on this project and The Crossing Machine has been breathing new life into the work, approaching it with deep respect for the score while bringing a distinctly contemporary energy and emotional clarity. The quartet is currently in the final stages of an exciting new album release and this performance at fortyfive downstairs forms part of a small number of anticipated launch concerts they have planned for 2026.
It's a work the quartet have been immersed in since 2018 with various vocalists, and since collaborating with Jordan from 2024, the work has now been fully recorded and is due to be released later this year. Jordan Z says “The Juliet Letters captivated him with its seamless blend of classical influence and contemporary pop sensibility.”
And Marianne Rothschild remarked: “The Crossing Machine felt that The Juliet Letters, that has been performed by many orchestras and ensembles since its release by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet in 1993, was due for a new perspective more than a quarter of a century later, with a particularly worthy voice for this project. Jordan Z lights up the words in a way that has not been heard before and listeners have the chance to hear this iconic work afresh.”
