THE VOYAGES OF AENEAS: CHOGA

Discovery After Destruction

The NYU Composers Ensemble, with colleagues from University of California, Irvine, Krakow Music Academy, and visual artists from Italy and Canada, will present a metaphoric rendition of the mythical travels of Aeneas, extending hissearch for a new home, after the sacking of Troy.

After the Destruction of Troy, Aeneas wanders homeless in search of himself. In his wanderings he must undergo a journey to the underworld like others who had gone before him such as Orpheus. While in the underworld, he consults his father Anchises, who provides him with a vision of the Future. In this vision, he witnesses the ravages of 20th century wars and the collapse of the Twin Towers as testament that the future brings more cruelty and destruction. His pain and sorrow catapults him inside the vision and the 21st century where he wanders disillusioned, encountering a fierce storm that brings him to Chosun, the land of calm.

Aeneas extends his stay in Korea (Choson) finding a CHoGA, which in Korean refers to a small primitive dwelling with a thatched roof. In this Choga, Aeneas remembers his adventures, which we recreate through music, dance, masques, digital image, computer image processing, and experimental music theater.

The production connects Choga to the notion of a dwelling, a home...simple and grounded... which becomes a refuge to the homelessness of Aeneas after the Fall of Troy (WTC), and his discovery of Choga as an allegory for Hemingway's "A Clean Well-Lighted Room" which served as a metaphor for a sanctuary for the artistic, creative imagination. Choga becomes a safe haven in a world of chaos...a place to discover...to rediscover and orient one's self to an emerging new world.

Our interpretation of Aeneas' adventures, explores his lengthy visit in East Asia, mostly in Korea, with parallels to Italy, New York, California and Romania. Aeneas is a global traveler, who brings mutual understanding and acceptance despite different cultures, religions, and races.

This is an extension our original concept of the Aeneas Project which began two years ago promoting the subject of AENEAS, as a universal, multicultural, multi-religion, and multi-racial figure.