Oceanic Verses

Oceanic Verses is a full-length multimedia opera created by acclaimed composer Paola Prestini in collaboration with film artist Ali Hossaini and librettist Donna Di Novelli. Against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea, Oceanic Verses follows people who flee and people who stay; it follows those who sail to escape and those who sail to arrive. As two ghosts re-enact their courtship, a Sailor searches for lost songs and a Scholar discovers a common past. All are united through the power of music, which keeps them afloat.

The story is derived from lost languages, texts of ancient songs, and found poems, woven into a beautiful literary tapestry by librettist Donna Di Novelli. Using a technique of undulating video, film artist Ali Hossaini creates a visual and musical landscape onscreen that presents the inner lives of the characters. Players and audience members alike will be immersed in the folkloric landscape that inspired Oceanic Verses.