Necessary Monsters
(written 2006-08, released 2021)
We do not know what the dragon means, just as we do not know the meaning of the universe, but there is something in the image of the dragon that is congenial to man’s imagination, and thus the dragon arises in many latitudes and ages. It is, one might say, a necessary monster, not some ephemeral and casual creature...
—Jorge Luis Borges, January 29, 1954
In his The Book of Imaginary Beings, Jorges Luis Borges assembled a compendium of 120 fictional beasts from the mythologies, stories and superstitions of cultures around the globe and through the ages. Though each being originates from a particular place and time, their resonance is universal. They are all manifestations of an aspect of the human experience, borne out of our collective imaginations. They are the embodiment of our hopes and fears, a multi-faceted depiction of the shadows in our human nature.
Necessary Monsters is a song-cycle based on nine of the creatures from Luis Borges’ book with words by poet Rafael Osés and music by Carla Kihlstedt. It is a kind of psychological safari, complete with a poetically-rich field guide which introduces the audience to the character, habits and habitat of each monster.
Necessary Monsters began as a co-commissioning project by Alverno Presents in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and the National Performance Network Creation Fund. The NPN Creation Fund is sponsored by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Altria, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). NM has been performed as a theater piece in Milwaukee, Chicago and San Francisco. It has since evolved into an elegant and dramatic song cycle for 7 musicians and a narrator.