Zoë’s new semi-theatrical work “The Plot” for soprano Heloïse Werner and world class ensemble received it’s world premiere at Wigmore Hall on Saturday June 4th 2022 as part of the launch of Werner’s debut solo album “Phrases”
Performers:
Héloïse Werner – soprano
Daniel Shao – flute
Emily Hultmark – bassoon
Laura Snowden – guitar
Calum Huggan – percussion
Colin Alexander – cello
Review from Seen and Heard International:
“A modern-day tale of loss and revelation through love via fairy tale (specifically, the ‘Fabulous Fairy of Narrative Continuation’), disco and (sadly imagined due to Wigmore Hall house rules) glitter, Martlew’s The Plot takes Victor Hugo (and the audience) for a hell of a ride, through the ‘Forest of Forgetting’. Werner acted and sang magnificently through this latter-day Die Zauberflöte, taking in elements of the Romantic Wanderer and the tarot archetype of The Hermit. It is as impossible not to love this piece as it is not to take up its invitation for finding ‘a brand-new plot of love’. Martlew’s works have been drip-fed into the light of day; this reveals a voice that needs to be heard. We need fun, and we need depth. Rarely do these come at once these days; the piece is beautifully constructed and deeply funny (the secretary glasses were a nice touch, as is the line ‘when in doubt, wear sequins’!).