After holding work-in-progress previews for the production at Fruitmarket Gallery in early 2023, Magnetic North return with the official premiere and short run of We Will Hear The Angels.

The performance uses music, words and movement to explore the strange power of sad music to uplift us. Co-directed by Nicholas Bone and film-maker Marisa Zanotti, it features an eclectic mix of music performed live by a cast of five performers; Apphia Campbell, Greg Sinclair, Marie-Gabrielle Koumenda, Mia Scott and Nicholas Bone.

We Will Hear The Angels takes its title from Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya. It explores the loneliness of heartbreak through four characters who find themselves telling their stories to the enigmatic Lou. What becomes of the broken-hearted? They find healing through the sublime power of music. The performance features songs by Hank Williams, Moondog and Orange Juice among others.

Magnetic North’s Artistic Director Nicholas Bone said:

Songs about loneliness and longing – from Purcell’s When I am Laid in Earth to Al Green’s Tired of Being Alone – are so ubiquitous and popular that they must answer some need we have to acknowledge and understand unhappiness. Working with a hugely talented cast and creative team on a development process that began in 2020, we have explored the relationship between music and melancholy through a whole range of inspirations. Starting with characters from stories by Chekhov and Katherine Mansfield and drawing on the set-up of Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

We presented an earlier version of the work as part of a residency at the Fruitmarket in 2023, and I’m really delighted to be back in the beautifully atmospheric Warehouse to present the full premiere of the show.

We Will Hear The Angels is the culmination of Magnetic North’s season of events to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. Also part of the programme is a screening of Pass The Spoon, the company’s legendary collaboration with composer David Fennessy and artist David Shrigley on 18 December at 7pm, and Aberdeen by David Fennessy on 2 February 2025 at 6:30pm.

24 January – 6 February 2025 at Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

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