'Ah, I Will Kiss Thy Mouth...' Fliss Bott & James Whittle by Rose Miranda Hall published on 2015-05-15T18:19:36Z Performed by Fliss Bott & James Whittle at Centrestage a Spotlight for Female Composers at the White Cloth Art Gallery, Friday 8th May 2015 Fliss Bott: Soprano/Salomé James Whittle: Cello/Jokanaan This piece takes its text from Oscar Wilde's play ‘Salomė’, using one of Salomė's final speeches in which she addresses the severed head of John the Baptist - here addressed as Iokanaan. The work explores Salomė's mental state traversing passionate longing, sever anger, deep frustration, victory and anxiety. She treats him as living but also explicitly acknowledges he is dead and be-headed: “you are dead, and your head belongs to me." Through this speech she travels many different mental states ending in quiet and tense relief as she finally has what she wants but at a great price. The cellist acts as Iokanaan reacting and engaging with Salomė, but also serves as a deeper reflection of her psyche. Genre Graphic Score
