SEEHUNDE
Musiktheater by TODD BASH
Music composed by Shigeru Kan-no
(2003)


1

An intense white light floods the stage.

Silence.

Random sounds are gradually heard, though they are distant and muffled.

Soon, the cries of seals are also heard, but in slow motion.  Each moan is long and sustained, with an eerie, yet beautiful quality.  They continue for several seconds.

As the seals’ cries become more and more prominent, a new sound is introduced: A heavy, piercing wind.

The lighting darkens...


2

A cold, winter night.  The landscape is covered in ice.
Upstage, the silhouettes of two young men appear.  They are digging with shovels.  The sound of their shovels plowing into the ice echoes through the night.

As the digging continues, a radio broadcast fades in and out, barely audible.  It may or may not say the following:

RADIO BROADCAST:
Les deux jeunes hommes sont payés une grande somme d’argent à creuser pour les os d’un playwright célèbre. Pour chaque objet façonné qu’lis découvrent...

After a moment, one of the young men sets down his shovel and makes his way down stage.  The sounds of the windy night fade into the background...


3

A small storage room, lit only by a lantern.

The Young Man is taking a breather.  He removes his cap and wipes some sweat from his forehead.  He then takes a drink of water from his canteen.

The night is becoming quiet.  Only distant animal sounds can periodically be heard.  The lighting also changes, becoming darker, and filled with shadows.

Upstage, in the shadows, two small children appear, running through the night, carrying torches that flicker.  They are naked, although it’s difficult to see them in the darkness.  Their giggles can be heard.

The children (a boy and a girl) eventually sit down on the cold ground. They begin touching each other’s bodies for the first time, displaying a great deal of curiosity and innocence.  Giggles continue to be heard.

After a moment, the sounds of the windy night return, and gradually get louder and more intense.  The cries of seals also return.

A collage of voices, barely audible and in different languages, follows.  Some of the voices overlap each other.

FIRST VOICE:
Laßt euch nicht verführen! Das Leben wenig ist...

SECOND VOICE:
El mondo solo por el cielo solo dejándome la sangre por la escayola de los proyectos...

Historical recordings of speeches by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin also fade in and out, along with the following sounds: Airplanes flying overhead; roaring thunder; children laughing; and a recording of Birgit Nilsson performing the Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde.

Meanwhile, the lighting has become an intense, fiery red.

The flood of sounds and lighting builds in intensity, before exploding with CHAOS!  Dirt is hurled upon the stage, while buckets of red paint are splattered upon hanging muslin.

The vibrations from such an eruption continue for quite some time, before slowly withering away.  Then...

Silence.


4

A small gloomy space, perhaps a cellar, or the crawl space under a house.  Whispers in an unknown language can be heard, as well as periodic moans, and random sounds.  Overall, though, there is a haunting sense of quiet.

During this scene, a number of episodes unfold simultaneously.  The fiery red lighting remains, dark and with shadows.

The first episode reveals a Homeless Man who is lying in the dirt, barely able to move. He struggles to lift his arms and head, like an animal who has been wounded.  The Young Man appears, watching from afar.

Second episode: Upstage, a Man in his Thirties is digging with a shovel.  He uncovers several black trash bags, filled with garbage, which had been buried many years before.  The bags are now decayed and covered with maggots.

Meanwhile, upstage left, an old baseball and three or four oranges roll upon the stage.

Third episode: A Little Boy appears, playing with a grasshopper.  He is on his knees covered with dirt.

Fourth episode: An Elderly Woman enters, with a large harness strapped around her shoulders.  She is pulling a filthy bathtub that contains the following: Old toys; newspapers and magazines from the 1960’s; pieces from a beat up lawn mower; and a typewriter from the 1920s.

The Little Boy stands up and brushes the dirt from his jeans.  He then makes his way to the bathtub, where he checks out some of the toys.

After a moment, the boy looks offstage and notices something that frightens him. He runs away, shouting, "CUIDADO CON LA CARTERA! CUIDADO CON LA CARTERA!"  A soldier with a rifle storms in, and chases after the boy.

During these episodes, periodically, faint voices can be heard, speaking from some distance away.  In addition, several rays of light, filtered through small, rectangular screens, cut into the space.

The Young Man wanders through the shadows, eventually finding his way out of the crawl space.  He follows a path which leads to a wooded area.  The sound of running water is heard...


5

A river in the mountains.  It is a quiet, moonlit night. An Old Man stands by a railing, looking down into the river.  The lighting has faded into a peaceful blue.

The Young Man appears, and begins fishing with a rod he has found leaning against the railing.  He casts his line into the river, and, after a moment, pulls in a giant squid.  He tosses the squid aside, before trying again, with the same results. After pulling in three squids, the Young Man casts his line for a fourth try.  This time he pulls in a baby.

The sound of an infant crying is heard for several seconds, before fading away.

The Old Man, moved by the sight of the baby, remembers a love he lost many years before.  He begins singing...

OLD MAN:
C’est l’enfant de mon amoureux, qui à gauche j’ici il y a tant d’ années.  I can still see her standing there, by the bridge, her body naked and unbathed, still a child herself.  Her breasts were so soft and sweet.  Und ihre Augen waren wie ein Rotwild braun.  Ich glaubte kompletter Liebe innerhalb ich für sie.  Les Montagnes ont été inondées par mon amour. But she left me...

Meanwhile, a Man in his Thirties appears opposite stage.  He begins singing, along with the Old Man. The Old Man’s voice fades, so now only the younger man is heard.  He is telling the same story to a Small Boy.

MAN IN HIS THIRTIES:
...She left me because I am hideous.  Non sono plù un giovane, ma un freak anziano, affrontante la morte.  How I long for her softness to brush against my face.  Cómo duelo para ver su sonrisa apenas una más vez...

The Old Man’s voice is once again heard, while the younger man’s voice fades.

OLD MAN:
...But I know I mustn’t get my hopes up.  The time is passing by faster than a meteor in space.  My life is moving closer to its end.  Se soltanto potessi vedere il suo un nuovo tempo giusto.  If only I could touch her lips.  Pero sé que la van. Y pronto, me irán, también.

The Young Man consoles the Old Man. After a moment, he gives him the fishing rod, before turning and walking away.

As the Young Man makes his way down the path, he spots the Man in his Thirties, along with the Small Boy, who are building a fort.  The Young Man watches for several seconds, and then joins them.

The sounds of the three building, as well as the flowing river water, are heard.

LIGHTS SLOWLY FADE.



INFORMATION 

Seehunde is currently available in the collection Sanctus Fumigaci.  For a copy of Mr. Kan-no's score, please visit the composer's page at the World Concert Artist Directory .