The charming Duo des Fleurs (Flower Duet) from Léo Delibes’ Lakmé, composed in 1883, stands as a timeless piece in classical music. Sung by Lakmé, a Brahmin priest’s daughter, and her servant Mallika, it captures their magical moment of flower gathering by a river. Since its premiere 140 years ago at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, the opera embodies the 19th-century European fascination with Eastern culture. Over the years, its weaving melodies and harmonies have found their way into commercials, films, and television. A memorable example is the seduction scene between Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve in Tony Scott’s The Hunger.
Traditionally, a soprano and mezzo-soprano perform this duet, but In The Throes Of has reimagined it with the unique voices of countertenors Harry Topalian and Jordan Rutter-Covatto. Inspired by the flamboyant and operatic style of Klaus Nomi, their rendition features a delicate post-punk arrangement. This transformation creates an ethereal, dreamlike quality, reminiscent of Cocteau Twins, yet unmistakably fresh and modern – certainly in step with more contemporary artists like Perfume Genius and Rufus Wainwright. This entire tableau is absolutely something you would find in an underground NYC black box performance art theatre, and we are here for it.
“The message of the work is universal love and respect for the environment,” says Topalian, who was further inspired by Bauhaus’s performance of Bela Lugosi’s Dead and the featured track Fun Time by Iggy Pop and David Bowie in The Hunger…I wanted to reimagine the cinema trope that typecast queer characters as sick, evil, and/or tragic. The Hunger provided important visibility for the community, but I feel the story needed a new, magical, and hopeful perspective.”
The opening of the performance art video begins with the gentle sounds of nature, invoking the dreamlike river voyage from Lakmé. It honors the story and the film scores by Howard Blake, Michel Rubini, Denny Jaeger, and David Lawson. The iconic Egyptian ankh pendants from The Hunger are reimagined here, but instead of vampires, we see two warlocks. These enchanters weave spells of prosperity, using music and a honey-based potion. Their white magic, paired with the natural backdrop, transforms the piece into a lyrical homage, blending the mystical and the melodic in a delicate, enchanting ritual.
Watch “Lakmé: Duo des Fleurs (Flower Duet)” below:
In The Throes Of is a musical venture that delves into the highs and lows of the human spirit, aiming to create healing and transformation through artistic shadow work. Led by Harry Topalian, a classically trained American singer, songwriter, creative director, and producer, this project is a tapestry of contrasts. Topalian, having left San Francisco, now resides in his family home amidst a nature preserve in the woods of Connecticut.
He dubs his work ‘baroque wave,’ a fusion of classical, post-punk, new wave, world music, 20th-century pop, trip-hop, cinematic, and contemporary styles. His influences range from Blondie and Siouxsie and the Banshees to Dead Can Dance and Les Rita Mitsouko, with shades of Trisomie 21, Danielle Dax, Patrick Wolf, This Mortal Coil, and Jeff Buckley woven into the fabric of his music.
Guest artist Jordan Rutter-Covatto lives in New York City and is an American virtuosic vocal performer who has been lauded by Opera News as “riveting … frightening to behold.”
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