The Institute Library is proud to present The Conqueror Worm Suite: six-part multimedia suite of music, poetry and projected visuals based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Conqueror Worm”, featuring music by the trumpet and accordion duo of Ben Holmes & Patrick Farrell and visuals by Natalie C. Sousa.

The duo present their original compositions (which incorporate a reading of the poem) in conjunction with a projected set of illustrations by visual artist Natalie C. Sousa. The duo will also perform music from their album “Gold Dust”, including originals, klezmer music, and arrangements of works by Dmitri Shostakovich, Erik Satie, and Ornette Coleman.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Conqueror Worm is a short five-stanza poem containing rich imagery and a cosmic scope that has inspired numerous artists and musicians, much like Poe’s work at large. Using Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale as a reference point, The Conqueror Worm Suite incorporates a reading of the poem, surrounded by music inspired by it.

Holmes and Farrell share compositional duties, drawing on their knowledge of Eastern European folk music and the work of composers including Shostakovich, Chopin and Duke Ellington to create a set of music that works with and against the text’s imagery and narrative elements. The music allows room for their fine-tuned improvisational interplay, and the shared compositional format allows them to tweak and reference each other’s themes and moods lending playful moments to the proceedings. The visuals by Sousa will be projected on a screen adjacent to the performers, further drawing the audience into the landscape of Poe’s vision.

Ticket price (includes one signed copy of the book) is $15 for Institute members, $20 for nonmembers. Get your tickets here. To become an Institute member for a modest $25 annual fee, join online here. To learn more, visit our website or Facebook page.

7:00 Performance begins

Institute Library
847 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510