Aakash Odedra Company in association with the Manchester Camerata will present the English premiere and UK tour of Songs of the Bulbul Songs of the Bulbul is a transcendent solo for the virtuoso performer Aakash Odedra created in collaboration with Delhi-based Kathak choreographer Rani Khanam. It had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival last year where it received a swathe of 4 and 5-star reviews and was named Edinburgh International Festival's Best Show by The List.
Songs of the Bulbul has been developed with London-based, genre-defying composer Rushil Ranjan. Renowned for his distinctive ability to seamlessly bring together Indian classical and Western classical traditions, his original score is written for orchestra, Qawwali singers and other Indian classical musicians, played by the pioneering Manchester Camerata. At Lowry, Salford the score will be played live by the orchestra's 35 players with singers Abi Sampa and Sarthak Kalyani.
Songs of the Bulbul lays bare Odedra's personal and spiritual dance landscape on stage. Rani Khanam's exquisite storytelling choreography features expressive hand gestures and flowing lines through space. Khanam is renowned for her intimate knowledge of Islamic and Sufi texts and she has worked widely with Sufi musicians, singers and dancers from across the Islamic world.
Together, Odedra, Ranjan and Khanam tell an ancient Sufi myth about the bulbul, a Persian nightingale, a symbol of the beauty of the natural world and the pursuit of religious enlightenment, which, when captured, sings a glorious tune. The song reaches an inexpressibly beautiful pitch in the moments before it perishes from despair.
Tour Dates
Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 April at 7.45pm and Thursday 10 April at 1pm
Patrick Studio, BIRMINGHAM Hippodrome
Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4TB
Tickets: 0844 338 5000 / www.birminghamhippodrome.com
Post-show talk on Tuesday 8 April
† 0844 calls will cost 4.5p per minute plus the phone company's access charge
Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April at 7.15pm
The Curve, LEICESTER
Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1SB
Tickets: 0116 242 3595 / www.curveonline.co.uk
Tuesday 6 May at 7.30pm
Lowry, SALFORD - WITH MANCHESTER CAMERATA LIVE
Pier 8, Salford Quays M50 3AZ
Tickets: 0161 876 2000 / https://thelowry.com/
Friday 16 and Saturday 17 May at 7pm
BRIGHTON Dome, part of Brighton Festival
Church St, Brighton BN1 1UE
Tickets: 01273 709709 / www.brightondome.org
Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 May at 7.30pm
NORWICH Playhouse, part of Norfolk and Norwich Festiva
42-58 St Georges St, Norwich NR3 1AB
Tickets: 01603 598598 / www.norwichtheatre.org
Thursday 29 May at 7.30pm
Salisbury Playhouse, part of Salisbury Festival
Malthouse Ln, Salisbury SP2 7RA
Tickets: 01722 320333 / www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk
Tuesday 3 June at 7.30pm
Nottingham Playhouse
Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AF
Tickets: 0115 941 9419 / www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk
Wednesday 2 July at 7.30pm
OXFORD Playhouse
11-12 Beaumont St, Oxford OX1 2LW
Tickets: 01865 305305 / www.oxfordplayhouse.com
Thursday 17 to Saturday 19 July at 7.30pm
Sadler's Wells East, LONDON
101 Carpenters Rd, Stratford Cross, London E20 2AR
Tickets: 020 7863 8198 / https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/aakash-odedra-songs-of-the-bulbul/
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