THE LABYRINTH

yesterday, today, tomorrow

There are stories that begin badly and end well, and others that go the other way!

I leave it to you to discover the ending of this story. After all, when you enter a labyrinth, you never know if you will escape!

Ariadne knew this when Theseus entered the labyrinth. Determined to see the man she loved return to her, she equipped Theseus with a red string with which to retrace his steps after slaying the mighty Minotaur. Like Theseus, we all enter our own labyrinths of life. We must all navigate through their twists and turns, encountering countless adversities. But our journey through our own unique labyrinths alters us. We grow, as we must, to overcome our individual Minotaurs. And maybe, if like Theseus we’re lucky to have an Ariadne of our own, we can retrace our own path with a red string and emerge from the labyrinth stronger, wiser, and more knowledgable than when we first began our journey.

This performance is a labyrinth, and we enter it together! Throughout the concert strophes from Monteverdi's Lamento di Arianna will be played at four different moments – this is our red string to guide us through the programme. These verses connect everything together, but they also tell a story within themselves, a story of tragic irony and abandonment; upon defeating the Minotaur and emerging from the labyrinth victorious, Theseus sets sail without Ariadne. She is abandoned on the island of Naxos. In life, as in the labyrinth, we can never know what lies around the next corner!