PEOPLE INDUSTRY is an exuberant, musical exploration of the human journey.
It is expressed through six principal movements divided into six
instrumental preludes and eleven arias, all dealing with different aspects
of life. It is verbally defined by four operatically-trained vocalists
(soprano, mezzo-soprano, counter-tenor and tenor) and instrumentally
illustrated by a twelve-piece ensemble comprising of four violini, two
violi, two celli, two contrabassi, timpani and cassa.
The inspiration for the title movement of PEOPLE INDUSTRY was based on my
fascination with human sexuality and our peculiar embarrassment about a
function that is, after all, fundamental to our survival as a species. Sex,
aside from being our most pleasurable physical experience, is also our
investment in the highly successful industry of life. We are part of a super
production line that stretches all the way from the exchange of DNA to the
fully formed end product, which in turn is greeted by numerous service
industries waiting for us outside the womb. We are consumers from the time
we are detected as living embryos. We try to control ourselves and our
environment; and to some extent, we are succeeding. However, finding a
balance between overproduction and underproduction will always be a
challenge and Earth has truly become the "ball" on which Mankind is trying
to perfect its balancing act.
From note one, PEOPLE INDUSTRY was conceived and composed from within the
area that lies between the orchestral tradition of classical harmony and the
melodic-rhythmic power of popular music.
The volume of the lyrical substance of PEOPLE INDUSTRY is considerable and
spans across many of the "large" subjects forever helping to expand the
human experience, such as: science, philosophy, history and art. The title
of the work inspired a corporate approach to the description and terminology
used, such as: "Inventory", "Production & Development", etc. This further
accentuates the underlying theme: "The Industry of People -- by People --
for People".
The opera-musical version of PEOPLE INDUSTRY, which is currently being
developed, also draws from the corporate world for its setting: a luxurious
boardroom, dominated by a large table, multiple LCD screens and a huge
window overlooking the skyline of a major metropolis. The ³executive sales
pitch², provides the vehicle for most of the arias.
PEOPLE INDUSTRY does not offer solutions or judgments; it simply bears
witness to our evolution as a species. It is easy to be cynical about
humanity and even easier to adopt magical thinking as an emotional refuge
from the chaos of mankind, where horror and humor walk hand in hand through
every terrestrial day and night.
However, PEOPLE INDUSTRY was born out of my curiosity and fascination about
mankind and its eccentricities; how we got here and how we, alone amongst so
many other earthly life forms, are succeeding in breaking out of nature's
cycle of synchronicity, i.e., creative thought over instinctual servitude.
Human imagination and potential seem endless and, contrary to the many
prophecies of doom, we are still here, creating through art and science our
own private and collective reasons for living.
As long as there is life, there is a pulse, a beat, a pattern and a cycle.
That¹s why People Industry flows to a relentless rhythm.
Georg Kajanus
All lyrics and compositions Copyright © 1999-2011 Georg Kajanus
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