STEWART COPELAND & IRENE GRANDI return with the rock opera THE WITCHES SEED (Info and Tickets)

The Witches Seed will be staged on May 25th at the Alfieri Theater in Asti and then on May 31st and June 1st at the Arcimboldi Theater in Milan.

A return for the spectacular and immersive rock opera signed by the brilliant musician and founder of the Police Stewart Copeland, with songs by Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders added to Copeland’s compositions, and Irene Grandi in the protagonist role.

The Witches Seed is produced by the Tones on the Stones Foundation which commissioned the work for the inauguration, in July 2022, of Tones Nature Theatera space/ecosystem dedicated to artistic research, innovation, knowledge and individual and collective well-being located in a mountain area of rare beauty, the Ossola Valley, among woods, terraced vineyards and ancient stone villages.

THE SYNOPSIS

Inspired by historical documents, the procedural documents of the years of the bloodiest Inquisition and the most fascinating legends of the mountain cultures of central Europe, The Witches Seed is a story of witches, persecutions, illusions and diabolical plans: three women, accustomed to working hard, they are accused of being witches and will have to face the prejudices of a city infested by the plague, managing to avoid the worst in a truly spectacular way.

Through the story – set in a historical period of economic, social and political-spiritual crisis due to the plague and the spread of new faiths and heresies of accusations – of the oppression and torture of three women by the most obscurantist Church, the show seems therefore talk about our current condition, in a world now under constant pressure from pandemic threats, shocked by the multiplication of conflicts, disoriented by the proliferation of fake news and on the brink of sinking into a new digital Middle Ages. A world in which the fight for the individual rights of women and everyone is of fundamental importance to lay the foundations of a rebirth.

Unfortunately, the themes covered in the work remain more current than ever. Violence against women who do not agree to submit to male will and power is a daily shame.

We artists hope for a truly inclusive society with respect to all “diversities” and backgrounds, but the road still appears long.

This is why we are engaged in this production with so much energy and enthusiasm, presenting a work which, although set centuries ago, is more contemporary and provocative than ever” states Maddalena Calderoni, artistic director of Tones Teatro Natura, as well as soprano on stage in the opera and first creator of The Witches Seed project.

THE WORK

The opera is the result of the creative collaboration of five great artists, starting with Stewart Copeland who composed the music for the opera. Multi-instrumentalist, composer, founder and drummer of an iconic band like the Police, Copeland boasts 60 million records sold throughout his career, 6 Grammy Awards and has written the soundtracks of unforgettable films such as Rusty the Wild Man by Francis Ford Coppola, Oliver Stone’s Wall Street and Talk Radio and Ken Loach’s Raining Stones. Added to the sound creation of the American artist are some songs composed by another leading name in pop-rock of recent decades, the singer-songwriter Chrissie Hynde, leader of the Pretenders, which burst into the score as a breaking element in contemporary orchestration. The leading role of the work is entrusted to Irene Grandi, an eclectic artist with an unmistakable tone, among the most loved of Italian pop-rock, with over 25 years of career behind her and collaborations with artists such as Pino Daniele, Jovanotti, Vasco Rossi, Fiorella Mannoia, Carmen Consoli, Stefano Bollani. Alongside her, Maddalena Calderoni herself, another well-known soprano, Veronica Granatiero and the amazing countertenor Ettore Agati.

The creator of the libretto is the British/Irish playwright Jonathan Moore, a name well known to the most prestigious international theater institutions and author for the BBC, who boasts collaborations with composers of the caliber of Michael Nyman, Ludovico Einaudi and Copeland himself. On the occasion of the 2024 filming, Jonathan Moore was also entrusted with the direction, again in collaboration with the choreographer Valentina Versino, an artist with a unique style born from the encounter with great masters of the performing arts, starting with Pina Bausch and David Zambrano. And then Marina Abramovich, Simone Forti, Andrew Harwood, Nancy Star Smith, Julian Hamilton, Akram Khan, Frey Faust, Judith Malina.

Conducting the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra will be multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer Troy Miller, a rare talent whose artistry transcends the boundaries of genre. He has worked with Amy Winehouse, Adele, Chaka Khan, Macy Gray, Branford Marsalis, Kyle Eastwood, Gloria Gaynor, Grace Jones, Sister Sledge, Q‑Tip, Donna Summer. He has produced Jamie Cullum (Island Records), Laura Mvula, Gregory Porter and Rag n Bone Man whilst his conducting roles have taken him to the London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia and BBC Concert orchestras.

The immersive video scenography that will transform the Arcimboldi Theater and the Alfieri Theater are signed by the internationally renowned concept&visual artist Edvige Faini, who has collaborated for years with the most prestigious Hollywood production studios (she has worked on films such as Planet of the Apes, Pirates of the Caribbean , 300 and Sin City, to name just a few) and with the most renowned game houses in the world (as a concept artist he developed cult video games Assassin’s Creed Unity and Final Fantasy XV).

Finally, the creation of the costumes is entrusted to Satoria Klemann who used precious materials made available by Manifattura Domodossola while the lights are designed by Emiliano Pascucci.

THE CAST

Music by STEWART COPELAND
Book and direction by JONATHAN MOORE
Conductor TROY MILLER

Isabetta IRENE GRANDI

Nele VERONICA GRANATIERO
Mazinetta MADDALENA CALDERONI
Inquisitor Buelli ETTORE AGATI
Bishop Bascapè GABRIELE NANI
Pastor Vittorio GRAZIANO DALLAVALLE
Pastor Ludo DOMENICO POZIELLO
Pastor Claudio FRANCESCO CASCIONE
Sergeant Giovanni RICCARDO BENLODI
Polidori Guard DAVIDE PROCACCINI

Italian Philharmonic Orchestra