After the Tempest, a songbook for Shakespeare

A music theatre song cycle for 1 soprano 2 mezzo-sopranos, theorbo, traverso, sackbut, baroque violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute and percussion.

Michelle Agnes Magalhaes (composition originale), Aurélia Hetzel (livret d'après Shakespeare). The piece was commissioned by Ensemble l'itinéraire and received support from the French Ministry of Culture (programme l'aide à l'écriture). Premiere: Messiaen Festival in July 2023 by Elise Chauvin, Grace Durham, Katalyn Karólyi (voices) and l'Ensemble L' Itinéraire.

"After the Tempest: A Songbook for Shakespeare" is a theatre song cycle that interweaves Elizabethan repertoire with original compositions. This work reimagines Shakespeare's "The Tempest" through a feminist lens, giving voice to its often-overlooked female characters: Miranda, the sheltered daughter; Claribel, the distant queen; and Sycorax, the banished sorceress.

At its core, three distinct yet interconnected stories emerge, each illuminating the hidden dimensions of these women's experiences. Their narratives are threaded together through reinterpretations of Ariel's iconic songs - "Full Fathom Five," "Where the Bee Sucks," and "Come Unto These Yellow Sands" - which serve as both structural pillars and magical connections between past and present.