TALE OF THE FIREBIRD to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut with The Freestyle Orchestra
The Vienna-based ensemble performs composer Chloé Charody's violin concerto blending circus, aerial arts, and fire manipulation.
TALE OF THE FIREBIRD will make its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut with a new production from The Freestyle Orchestra that combines classical music performance, contemporary circus, physical theatre, and movement.
The production features an international ensemble of 12 performers, each trained as both a classical musician and acrobat. Inspired by the mythological Phoenix, the work unfolds as a deconstructed fairytale exploring themes of resilience, renewal, and hope.
Created specifically for the Vienna-based company, the production is built around an original violin concerto composed by Chloé Charody. The score is performed alongside choreography, group acrobatics, aerial arts, fire manipulation, contemporary dance, and physical storytelling, with each performer portraying a distinct character throughout the piece.
The production places equal emphasis on musical and physical expression, integrating instrumental performance directly into the staging and movement vocabulary. Instruments become part of the acrobatic and theatrical language, while the physical action is designed to extend and amplify the emotional impact of the music.
“I believe music is one of the most powerful ways we can bear witness to our time,” said Charody. “The concerto aims to fully integrate three art forms: contemporary circus, contemporary art-music and physical theatre, with a compelling narrative conveyed through movement and physicality.”
She added, “Composed and developed specifically for Sonja and her orchestra's unique capabilities, where the music, movement, acrobatic and fire performance are conceived simultaneously, it aims to expand our collective capacity to listen, to remember, to feel and most importantly, to care.”
The Freestyle Orchestra develops circus-centered productions in which music serves as the foundation for the theatrical and physical language of the work. The company aims to broaden access to classical music by presenting it through an integrated combination of performance disciplines.
Prior to its Edinburgh debut, The Freestyle Orchestra has appeared at international events including VIVID Sydney, the Venice Biennale, the Vienna Festwochen Opening, and a performance staged at 1,900 meters in the Austrian Alps.
Through its combination of live music, circus arts, and theatrical storytelling, TALE OF THE FIREBIRD reimagines the concert experience while exploring themes of transformation, endurance, and collective hope.
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