Cécile McLorin Salvant: Ogresse at deSingel

Cécile McLorin Salvant is the standout jazz singer of her generation. She has a deep knowledge of the tradition, which she combines with a predilection for blues and pop. She built up her reputation with masterful interpretations of jazz standards, but along the way has increasingly been focusing on her own work. Ghost Song was a pivotal work in which the singer strayed far beyond the boundaries of the genre, and which she came to present at DE SINGEL last season.

Now she goes one step further with the large-scale project Ogresse, a musical fable that brings together divergent genres: from folk and baroque, to jazz and country. She herself describes Ogresse as ‘a dark tale full of mystery, about the balance between love, life and death, that ends on a mountain full of snakes and flowers…’ Arranger Darcy James Argue adapted the work for a 13-member ensemble, McLorin Salvant embodies the various characters. Ogresse explores themes such as power, gender, origin and love.