Live From London: Keeping Quiet - Donna McKevitt

The world premiere performance of a new work by Donna McKevitt, commissioned by the VOCES8 Foundation for Paul Smith's 'Renewal?' concert for Live From London Summer 2021.
'Keeping Quiet' by Donna McKevitt sets a translation of the Pablo Neruda poem with beautiful simplicity and time to reflect on the text within the music, echoed here with dance by Giulia Tonelli and Lucas Valente.
Performers:
VOCES8
Apollo5
Caroline Dale ('cello)
Roger Chase (viola)
Directed by Paul Smith
Music performance recorded at the VOCES8 Centre, London by the VOCES8 Studios team.
Ballet performance filmed at Tanzhaus Zurich by Nicole Davidson.
www.voces8.foundation
Text:
KEEPING QUIET
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth
let's not speak in any language,
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), "Keeping Quiet" Extravagaria (translated by Alastair Reid) Jonathan Cape, London, 1972, pp.27-29 (original Estravagario, Editorial Losada, Buenos Aires, 1958)"

[@christianheidenreich3673]

I prefer to close my eyes while listening because the dancing distructs from the beautiful music.

[@cohort075]

Beauty, in an age of turmoil.

[@suellensimons-peters1597]

Just fabulous. Everything was too perfect for words. As always, thank you all!

[@gerardquinn4513]

Beautiful, the opening with the solo cello is stunning. Beautiful singing and magnificent cello playing. Just right. What can one say.

[@dirkhoekstra727]

Wow!!

[@ulipuetz]

Great. Great. Great!

[@willortiz3547]

The creative dance interpretation accompanying this mystical musical piece created a magical experience. Will Ortiz

[@philippotter3206]

Stunning. Stopped me in my tracks today.

[@genejohnson4283]

Wow! Complete Beauty!

[@corocorachannel4235]

Again a masterpiece.

[@peterlowie5067]

Sound of Silence? Beautiful!!!

[@peterferrier5833]

Wow. Just sublime.

[@earth2jennyl]

Wow. This is amazing. Thank you. 🧡

[@ignacioquiroga7103]

Exquisite!!

[@bluefunkybassman]

Well this was just mind-blowing 🤯

[@haselhupfer]

Ein außergewöhnliches Zusammenwirken außergewöhnlicher Künstler!

[@IweyoL]

"Keeping Quiet"
May 11, 2020
by Pablo Neruda
(English translation by Alastair Reid)
Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.
For once on the face of the earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.
It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Extravagaria : A Bilingual Edition
by Pablo Neruda (Author), Alastair Reid (Translator)
Noonday Press; Bilingual edition (January 2001)

[@Diana-be4mj]

♥️

[@cogitoergosum3138]

Ergreifend!

[@fotophool]

This reminds me so much of Jessica Curry’s 2016 BAFTA-winning Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture score, which… is just a monumental work that stands virtually alone in classically written video game music (Austin Wintory’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate is similar for a string chamber ensemble).
I would love to see Voces8 do some EGTTR music (were I better off, maybe commissioning a whole concert for it), it seems such a perfect fit.

[@chriss1587]

I like this, Wasn't Donna in Miranda Sex Garden? i absolutely loved that band!

[@furzebird]

Music for our times indeed. Beautiful and heartbreaking.
( Dancing fine but not necessary to this perfection, would prefer to watch one or the other).

[@dirkvanhees2412]

Prachtig

[@marianrose1259]

✨🌟🌼🧡🌼🌟✨

[@RoSario-vb8ge]

I would love to hear some pentatonic liturgical music of the country of Georgia sang by this choir.

[@sylvianepichs5563]

EN FRANCAIS............. ON EST EN FRANCE

[@XM525754]

Certainly a different sort of performance with the dance element. However it is already new music, with new lyrics and the dance added is a bit distracting IMHO.

[@wescharlton]

The conductor makes much more beautiful gestures. Just seems the dancers are making motions without meaning or beauty.

[@backinmyrightmind]

Could have done without the dancing.

[@ilvailvandoniherde496]

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