The Andrée Expedition

An attempt is made by Swedish explorers in 1897 to reach the North Pole in a hot air balloon. Their poignant remains are discovered some 30 years later; the ice coated wreckage of the trio’s balloon, letters, journals, and amazingly, a camera with surviving footage from their final weeks. Argento’s musical depiction of this actual age-of-exploration journey pans from mundane to deeply psychological.

In an unusual presentation The Andrée Expedition will be performed with three baritones, Randall Scarlata, Nathaniel Sullivan, and Steven Eddy, portraying the explorers, with Laura Ward, piano, and video scape by Suzanne DuPlantis.