Cold Genius

In Purcell's opera we see Cold Genius and Cupid in reconciliation, but in this haunting and dark performance, a way out is not on the table. This piece expresses the 'mourning of the state of the world' and was created in the midst of the isolating and uncertain Covid-19 pandemic lock-down.

"Ballet Vlaanderen’s ongoing 'Imagination Is Alive' series pairs musicians and dancers, filmed around their home city of Antwerp. Cold Genius has dancer Matt Foley in a flesh-coloured leotard tending towards the absurd, his bouncing, bending, quivering and tip-toeing body lent gravitas by the intense, authoritative bass-baritone Justin Hopkins watching over him in an empty theatre, singing Purcell’s What Power Art Thou. It’s peculiarly compelling." -The Guardian

Title
Cold Genius

Producer
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Director/Choreographer
Drew Jacoby

Dancer
Matt Foley

Bass-Baritone
Justin Hopkins

Music
Henry Purcell

Harpsichord
Conal Bembridge-Sayers

‍