STEIN

You know Gertrude Stein, the great American writer, don’t you? Not only did she write “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” but many more beautiful, poetic lines. What about this, written 100 years ago:

Elephant beaten with candy and little pops and chews all bolts and reckless reckless rats, this is this.

And:

A little monkey goes like a donkey that means to say that means to say that more sighs last goes. Leave with it. A little monkey goes like a donkey.

These texts may sound a little cryptic, and yes, they are! Those texts are meant to have no meaning. They concentrate on the beauty of the poem itself and its construction, similar to a cubist or an abstract painting. Stein composes with words.

To us, The POW Ensemble, these texts demand to be sung, to be put to music. And that is exactly what we are going to do.

Download the PDF folder with all the information about the show