La serpenta canta

Galás’s operatic blues gnaw right at the soul here, a wordless moan of grief and pain somewhere between the spine tingling ululatory howl of a Middle Eastern funeral and distracted humming from a cell at the asylum...

- The Wire

Diamanda Galás, composer, piano virtuosa and avant-garde performance star, has gained international fame thanks to her daring interpretations of jazz, blues and gospel, which are full of condemnation, politics and provocation. Here, she presents La Serpenta Canta, a programme of tragic songs, evoking broken love, blinding obsessions and a heavy melancholy. Galás’ voice and piano produce stripped-back versions of works that speak out to and shake up the audience... works on death, resurrection and defiance. Her vocal range and piano-playing is able to mould heart-rending songs, many of which can be found on her latest album, Guilty Guilty Guilty. Onstage, the music of John Lee Hooker, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Johnny Cash and James Carr combines with the rich extremes of this “great diva of darkness”.

www.diamandagalas.com