Old Ghosts, the final episode of Ulysses 2.2 in response to the Penelope chapter of Ulysses, sees the world premiere of a new opera, with newly commissioned music by Evangelia Rigaki and text by Marina Carr.
James Joyce and Nora Barnacle are living in Trieste. Joyce has embarked on his great enterprise, the composition of Ulysses. After a night on the town, he sits at his writing desk, working on his masterpiece. As he begins to write, he is visited by two ghosts, Homer and Penelope, who have a thing or two to say to him and to each other. As morning approaches, Joyce composes a letter to his aunt, inquiring after everyday Dublin life, details of which will become the thread of his iconic masterwork. Meanwhile, Nora pines for home, longing to return to her beloved west of Ireland.
Old Ghosts, the final episode of Ulysses 2.2 in response to the Penelope chapter of Ulysses, sees the world premiere of a new opera, with newly commissioned music by Evangelia Rigaki and text by Marina Carr. It imagines James Joyce in conversation with Nora Barnacle, Homer and Penelope herself as possible inspirations for the character of Molly Bloom and the final chapter of Ulysses.
In a first-time collaboration for two of Ireland’s leading companies, Irish National Opera and ANU, Old Ghosts will be performed live at MoLI - Museum of Literature Ireland from 2 - 4 February 2023, the culmination of a year of thrilling nationwide, multidisciplinary artistic experiments, created by a rich and diverse gathering of Irish artists and organisations, presented, curated and commissioned by ANU, Landmark & MoLI.
