La Rhétorique des Dieux (2026/2025)

Set to excerpts from the eponymous eleven suites for Baroque lute by Denis Gaultier (1597 or 1602/3 – 1672), La Rhétorique des Dieux is a modular two-part suite of vignettes following the mythic figure of Phaëthon - cast down to the realm of mortals from that of the divine - and his interactions with various icons of classical Greco-Roman mythology appearing in unexpected urban contemporary guises. A suite of excerpted selections premièred from November 22nd-24th, 2024 as part of Salon Lute, an evening of new dances, poetry, and song featuring music for Baroque lute and theorbo performed live by acclaimed lutenist/theorbist Dušan Balarin. An evening-length version of the work premièred in the outdoor amphitheater at the Untermeyer Gardens Conservancy in Yonkers, NY on June 21st, 2025, and its New York City première will take place at the 92nd Street Y, NY in October, 2026.