For his Roulette 2024 Jerome Commission, saxophonist and composer David Leon premiers A Divine Echo, a hybrid work of chamber music and wordless puppet theatre. Engaging with love and compassionate sacrifice, aging, decay, and familial duty, A Divine Echo tells the story of a boy and his grandmother whom live together.
The piece is inspired by Bunraku puppetry and contemporary musics alike, expanding on Leon’s compositional practice to include a trio of puppeteers alongside a trio of musicians on vibraphone, cello, and clarinet. Together, the disciplines work in measured counterpoint, elucidating the parallels between them while weaving a narrative about the bonds we share with loved ones.
David Leon - clarinet & sopranino saxophone
Matt Moran - vibraphone & davul
Lester St. Louis - cello
Dorothy James - puppeteer
Emily Batsford - puppeteer
Andy Manjuck - puppeteer
Concept, script, and musical score by David Leon
All puppets designed and constructed by Yuliya Tsukerman
For tickets: https://roulette.org/event/david-leon-a-divine-echo/
(a sneak peek):