Turning to art in a time of strife

While innocent children are being killed in Gaza and Ukraine, it feels as if we’re helpless to make any sense of today’s world.

But local composer Geoff Davidson and writer Larry Winger have teamed up to present a story for today that has resonated down the ages, from the Torah to the Old Testament.

A story that seems to have been a warning from a wise people to succeeding generations. The life of the biblical David is such a salutary story. The trope of the underdog and the bully, as we might rephrase the David and Goliath interaction, is so ingrained in our own culture that almost automatically we cheer when the tables are turned. But how do we feel when that very underdog arrives in power and exhibits an overweening hubris that cannot be constrained? Conflicted, certainly.

The God Stone, a retelling of David’s story, in song, explores unexpected avenues of compassion, before considering betrayal. It’s highly likely that we’re familiar with the romance of King David and Bathsheba, but perhaps that familiarity does not extend to the subterfuge David may have used to eliminate her husband Uriah from the scene. Confronted by the prophet over his actions, David incriminates himself, as he understands the error of his ways.

The concert musical developed by these local friends is, they hope, not only a compelling story in itself, but also a powerful metaphor for our times. The event is premiering at the CatStrand in New Galloway on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November. There is a cast of seven soloists, including guests Nia Howe as Bathsheba and Elliot Hunter as the adult David, Nicola Junor as the prophetess Neviah, Robert Lind as King Saul, Mariella Petrucci as the boy David, Neil Webster as Uriah and Davy Brown as the prophet Samuel. There is also a chorus of some twenty local singers, conducted by Geoff Davidson. The concert promises to be a revelation of the simple power of story, and an operatic treatment of a salient issue for today.

Larry Winger, New Galloway