Art Sung – Jane Bathori: A Dove at the Vieux Colombier

Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano) Elizabeth Mucha (piano) Julie Teal (actor) Roxani Eleni Garefalaki (director/movement) James Symonds (visual artist)

Art Sung – Jane Bathori: A Dove at the Vieux-Colombier is a semi-dramatised interdisciplinary song recital which celebrates French mezzo soprano Jane Bathori who dedicated her life and talents to promoting the music of her contemporaries: Debussy, Ravel and Satie as well as supporting the early works of “Les Six”. The high point of her career was the rare opportunity to direct the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris during the Great War. Her artistic initiatives were a godsend for many composers who were at the front, such as Caplet and Hahn. The theatre buzzed with music of all genres from mediaeval to contemporary as well as many inter-art collaborations. Pianist and Art Sung founder Elizabeth Mucha is joined by mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, actor Julie Teal, visual artist James Symonds, and director Roxani Eleni Garefalaki in Art Sung – Jane Bathori which brings to life a slice of forgotten history through music, narrative and artwork, and pays tribute to Bathori’s resolute determination to contribute musically to the war effort. This production was created in collaboration and based on the extensive research of Prof. Barbara Kelly, Head of the School of Music at the University of Leeds.

Art Sung, founded by pianist Elizabeth Mucha, is an ensemble of singers, pianist, actor, and visual artists creating connections between music, art, and narrative in a series of semi-dramatized song recitals. Our projects have focused to date on women whose artistic careers have not received the recognition they deserve. Their stories are told in their own words drawn from first hand sources such as diaries and letters with songs and music which reflect, comment, or elaborate on the narrative together with the creatively projected artwork. Art Sung prides itself on including Art movements as part of the bespoke visual imagery to give cultural context. The visual backdrop for our inaugural production, Art Sung – Alma Mahler, featured the stunning artwork of the Vienna Secession. For our subsequent production, Art Sung – Clara Schumann, commissioned by the London Song Festival in 2019, Clara Schumann’s symbolic pressed flower collection served as a thematic connection to showcase masterpieces of the German Romantics. For our third production, Art Sung – Jane Bathori, the bespoke artwork was inspired by the line drawings of Jean Cocteau and calligramme poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire. This production was created in collaboration and based on the extensive research of Prof. Barbara Kelly, Head of the School of Music at the University of Leeds. In 2023, we joined forces with the London Song Festival to create Art Sung – Edith Sitwell: Behind her Façade which celebrates the premiere of Edith Sitwell’s collaboration with composer William Walton in 1923 on the musical entertainment, “Façade” and explores her colourful and dramatic life. A fifth Art Sung about the life and work of the Scottish composer, Erik Chisholm is currently in development.