CORRIDO - A BALLAD FOR THE BRAVE
(2018)
Producer, Writer & Director
Performed at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 2018, as part of the critically acclaimed exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up.
Corrido is an immersive and richly textured audio-visual concert celebrating the life, times and contemporaries of Frida Kahlo. Co-produced by Classical Kicks Productions and led by internationally renowned violinist and vocalist Lizzie Ball, the concert – written, directed and produced by Emily Blacksell – featured Polish accordionist Bartosz Glowacki, Chilean guitarist Jorge Bravo, special guest, Mexican guitarist Morgan Szymanski, and narration by award-winning actor, Eve Best. Drawing inspiration from the cultural landscape of Kahlo’s time, the concert carried an audience on an impressionistic audio-visual journey through exquisite music, with original art and animation by Coline Brun-Naujalis, bold video and projection by Roderick Maclachlan and sound design by sonic master, John Leonard.
Music included specially adapted works by Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Alessandro Marcello, Julio César Oliva, Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, Manuel Ponce, Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Django Reinhardt and Germaine Tailleferre, punctuated by bold and evocative original compositions by Lizzie Ball. The concert also featured the UK premiere of Frida Kahlo’s own ‘Corrido de Carlos Chávez y Diego’ by kind permission of Marcela Rodrìguez, from her opera Las Cartas de Frida.
A live-show teaser film, produced by Short Form Film Company, is available upon request.
“Corrido is enriching and inspiring; a visual and aural Mexican feast. Most of all it links all of our stories to Frida’s, a tribute she would have felt honoured and humbled by, because that was at the very heart of what she sought to do as an artist.”
“I was blown away by this deeply felt show, a passionate love letter to an important artist, don’t miss it.”
“I have never heard or seen an audience so struck with a piece as I was with, Corrido: A Ballad For The Brave. From the writing, the score to the strikingly original visual representation of her works and her life; we were totally immersed with an array of magnificent performances across the board. To have the knowledge, skill and chutzpah to attempt such a work and bring it to light in such a contemporary way, all credit should go to Emily Blacksell and Lizzie Ball - true artists and originators. This has to be seen by the widest audience possible.”
“These producers have done such an amazing job. There is so much passion and emotion within this project… it looks and sounds INCREDIBLE.”
“An accomplished and wildly imaginative event. I loved it almost as much as I love Frida.”
