Robe

French Jesuit missionary Father Laforgue travels to the magnificently austere Canadian wilderness to save the souls of a "savage and godless" people – the native tribes of the Huron and Algonquin. But the natives, who have their own spiritual value system that differs drastically from Christianity, are immediately suspicious, resentful and openly hostile toward the intrusive "Black Robe". And when Laforgue fires a reluctant group of Algonquin to escort him on a harrowing 1500-mile journey up the broad and sinuous St. Lawrence River, a devastating chain of events not only causes him to question his deeply held beliefs…but also forever changes the course of history for the natives' way of life.

"Elle voulait porter la paix dans les pays qui avaient connu la guerre. Elle pensait, disait-elle, faire régner l'harmonie par sa seule présence en robe de mariée. Ce n'est pas la grâce ou la bêtise de son intention qui m'a intéressée, c'est qu'elle ait voulu, par son geste, réparer quelque chose de démesuré et qu'elle n'y soit pas arrivée. Une robe blanche suffit-elle à racheter les souffrances du monde ? Sans doute pas plus que les mots ne peuvent rendre justice à une mère en larmes".

This recording of Alastair White’s ‘fashion-opera’ ROBE features the original cast from the premiere performance as part of Tête-à-Tête, London in 2019. The unique concept employs only four female singers with flute and piano, but also dancers and actors, in this futuristic drama. The work was shortlisted for the Creative Edinburgh Award and described as “striking and evocative” (Planet Hugill)

Marcellus is a tribune in the time of Christ. He is in charge of the group that is assigned to crucify Jesus. Drunk, he wins Jesus' homespun robe after the crucifixion. He is tormented by nightmares and delusions after the event. Hoping to find a way to live with what he has done, and still not believing in Jesus, he returns to Palestine to try and learn what he can of the man he killed.