The Two Fauns (2011)

Directed by David Finkelstein
With: Paul Daniel Cloeter and JJ Sosnowski
Music: Randall Wong
Performed by: C4: the Choral Composer/Conductor Collective
Conductor: David Rentz
Text: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Editing and visual design: David Finkelstein
Recorded, Edited, Mixed and Mastered by: Jon Gordon Music Production, New York
singers:
Frances Geller
Karen Siegel
Martha Sullivan
June Feldman
Jamie Klenetsky
Ellen Rentz
Emily Speer
Jonathan David
Chris Baum
Joe Rubinstein
Daniel Andor
Tim Brown
Phillip Cheah
David Harris
Total running time: 18 minutes
david@lakeivan.org
lakeivan.org

A scene from Percy Shelley’s lyrical drama, “Prometheus Unbound,” in which two fauns are entranced by the sounds of unseen spirits. Here, the two fauns are two men, engaged in a friendly game of pursuit, as one of them follows the other through grungy alleys and doorways. They follow the sounds of an unseen chorus, seemingly the voices of spirits who are blessing and encouraging their amorous play. (The score, for sixteen voices plus vibes and harp, is by Randall Wong.) Superimposed words and animated images illustrate Shelley’s text. When the two men finally come together, they engage in a dialogue, in the tones of erotic banter.