James Dillon: Philomela

Anu Komsi, Susan Narucki, Lionel Peintre, Remix Ensemble, Porto/ Jurjen Hempel
Aeon AECD 0986 (2 CDs) ****

CLASSICAL:Scottish composer James Dillon doesn't see his first stage work, Philomela, as an opera. He calls it music/théâtre, the use of French in acknowledgement of the crucial role played by director Pascal Rombert. The Greek myth of Philomela is as gory and explicit as any Hollywood blood-fest and trespasses into horrific taboos. Philomela is raped by King Tereus, who cuts out her tongue to guarantee her silence. Tereus unwittingly eats his own son, served up in revenge by his wife Procne, Philomela's sister. Dillon's multi- layered score, full of anguish and struggle, is a harrowing immersion for the listener, but a gripping one, a churning stew that in this fine performance unshirkingly reflects the extreme carnality of the story. www.aeon.fr