MODERN VIRGIN
A multimedia song cycle based on poetry by Edith Södergran
Blueprints composed by Garrett Fisher
Completed by Maria Männistö (Vocalist) | Garrett Fisher (Pianist)
I am no woman. I am a neuter.
I am a child, a page and a bold resolve…
I am a net for all greedy fish,
I am skoal to the glory of all women,
I am a step towards hazard and ruin,
I am a leap into freedom and self...
Recently workshopped at New York Theater Workshop, MODERN VIRGIN is a 60 minute song cycle composed by Garrett Fisher. Performed by Finnish-American vocalist Maria Männistö and the composer at piano, the work features 23 of Finnish modernist Edith Södergran's poems that explore nature, illness, and the struggle toward self-actualization. Projected timelapse footage of Finland’s epic landscape in changing light sets the work in a magical and poetic natural world that heightens the timeless, epic quality of Södergran’s words.
Maria Männistö, “one of the most hauntingly beautiful voices I have heard in years,” (Seattle Times), moves comfortably among a wide range of musical styles to international acclaim. Maria has appeared frequently as soloist with Seattle Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, among others, and she has premiered works by Seattle-based composers Wayne Horvitz, Garrett Fisher, William O. Smith, and Tom Baker. Recent solo engagements include Handel's Ode for St. Cecilia's Day with Seattle Symphony, Saariaho’s Leinolaulut with Philharmonia Northwest, Carmina Burana with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and a performance of her own compositions at Musiikkitalo concert hall in Helsinki. A dedicated member of the Finnish community in Seattle, she serves as music director of the Finnish Lutheran Church and performs regularly at Nordic festivals and events.