SHARE Layla and Majnun | Mark Morris Dance Group & Silk Road Ensemble

Event Type
Performance
Event Description

LAYLA AND MAJNUN

Mark Morris Dance Group
Silk Road Ensemble
Mark Morris, choreographer and director
Alim Qasimov, Majnun
Fargana Qasimova, Layla
Howard Hodgkin, scenic and costume design
James F. Ingalls, lighting design
Music composed by Uzeyir Hajibeyli and arranged by Alim Qasimov, Johnny Gandelsman, and Colin Jacobsen
Libretto based on the poem Leyli and Majnun by Muhammad Fuzuli

 

This evening-length work will be just over an hour in length and features mugham singers Alim Qasimov —considered a “Living National Treasure” of Azerbaijan — and Fargana Qasimova and musicians of the Silk Road Ensemble on traditional Asian instruments (kamancheh, tar, shakuhachi, and pipa) combined with Western strings (two violins, viola, cello, and contrabass) and a percussionist on stage with 16 dancers of the Mark Morris Dance Group. 

This production will not only introduce a beloved cornerstone of Middle Eastern folklore to a wide audience in the U.S. and abroad, but has the potential to engage new audiences drawn by the subject matter. The home territory of Layla and Majnun is located along the ancient Silk Route from India, Central Asia, and the Middle East to the eastern edge of Europe. This area, of current geopolitical focus and concern, is also the natal home of many immigrant communities in the U.S.—South Asians, Iranians, Arabs, and Azerbaijanis, among others—that are not typically represented among modern arts audiences.

Though the story of Layla and Majnun has been reinterpreted in countless poems, paintings, plays, songs, musical compositions, television dramas, and films, an adaptation of this scale has never been presented in the West.

 

Location

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

205 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 334-2400