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An Anatomy of Melancholy

— ,Pit Theatre
A man in a white shirt and black trousers is underwater with his arms outstretched

Iestyn Davies’s crystalline voice, Netia Jones’s haunting visuals, and John Dowland’s ravishingly bittersweet music come together in an intimate theatrical meditation on the consolations of sorrow.

‘Flow, my tears, fall from your springs…’ wrote the great Tudor composer, the beauty and bitterness of his music finding an echo in the poetic language of Robert Burton’s 17th-century treatise The Anatomy of Melancholy, which in turn inspired director Netia Jones.

This world premiere production deftly weaves together the endlessly tender sadness of Dowland’s music with creative visuals and the writings of Burton, Freud and contemporary experts on human emotion. And with the greatest contemporary lutenist Thomas Dunford on the team, two unrivalled modern interpreters of Dowland’s music are at the glowing heart of this new theatrical creation, which will be performed in the round in the intimate setting of the Pit Theatre.

Tagged with: Classical music Live from the Barbican Theatre and Dance Autumn 2022 More...

The running time for this performance is approximately 60 minutes, without an interval

Unfortunately, due to unavoidable circumstances our BSL signer is no longer available for the 29 Oct afternoon performance of Anatomy of Melancholy and we have not succeeded in finding an available replacement at this short notice. We apologise for any inconvenience.

The 9pm performance on Fri 28 Oct will be livestreamed. This livestream will be available to watch back until Sun 30 Oct at 9pm. You can buy a ticket up until this point. The live stream is available globally.

Produced by the Barbican

Please note the start time for all performances have been pushed back an hour from originally advertised, now beginning at 4pm or 9pm.

Programme

  • John Dowland   selected songs

Performers

  • Iestyn Davies   countertenor
  • Thomas Dunford   lute
  • Netia Jones   director

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Pit Theatre

Location
The Pit is located on Level -2 within the main Barbican building and can be accessed via the stairs or lifts on Level G, next to the doors to the Lakeside Terrace. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.