“Healing is the leap out of suffering and the leap into myth.”
~Joseph Campbell
What is the Canticle of the Black Madonna?
The Canticle of the Black Madonna is a truly unique work of art, drama, and music. Part modern opera, part baroque oratorio, and featuring original music, poetry, paintings, costumes, live ritual, and classical theater, The Canticle of the Black Madonna is an immersive musical work for five operatic soloists, chorus, and chamber orchestra.
What is the story about and what makes it special?
Set in Louisiana during the 2010 oil spill, The Canticle of the Black Madonna explores the inner and outer worlds of Adam, a fictional American soldier who has recently returned from combat in Afghanistan, and his wife Mara, an animal rescue worker. The story centers on Adam’s struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Mara’ s torment as she copes with her husband’s violent outbursts and the environmental effects of the spill, and their shared search for emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing and redemption.
The Canticle of the Black Madonna is special because it goes beyond the simple narration of the story by interweaving characters drawn from the depths of what Carl Jung termed the “Collective Unconscious.” These characters, the Black Madonna and two angels, give voice to and embody spiritual archetypes of compassion that can be profoundly healing to the psyche and the soul. The presence of the Black Madonna, a representation of the timeless realm of the sacred in the midst of a contemporary story, creates a juxtaposition between the seen and the unseen, the modern and the ancient, and the inner world of dreams and the deep psyche and the outer world of everyday life.
To read more details about the story and its powerful, healing message, please visit our Story Page.
Who is the “Black Madonna”?
The name “Black Madonna” is most closely associated with the dark-skinned paintings and statues of medieval Europe to which numerous miracles have been attributed, such as the Madonnas of Tindari, Montserrat, Częstochowa, and many others. The Black Madonna belongs to the tradition of potent mother goddesses, such as Isis, Cybele, and Demeter. Not only limited to their roles and depictions in religious scripture, these Black Madonnas are all incarnations of a single, powerful archetype. In this sense, the “Black Madonna” is the all-power, all-present divine love of the Universal Mother, who gives us inner strength to persevere through our greatest hardships, nurtures us when we lose hope, and dries our tears when we are inconsolable.
While psychology has much to offer trauma survivors, it is the living experience of this love that enables them to feel whole again, and while many of us are spared the life-shattering traumas experienced by survivors of war and holocaust, we all share a deep and often repressed craving for this Dark Mother to inhabit us in the midst of our pain and guilt in order to restore our sense of goodness and our sense of belonging to the larger, all-loving family of humanity.
Who wrote The Canticle of the Black Madonna?
The Canticle of the Black Madonna is a collaboration between composer Ethan Gans-Morse and artist, author, and poet Tiziana DellaRovere, who conceived the story and wrote the libretto.
Where can I learn more about The Canticle of the Black Madonna and when can I attend the premiere?
The Canticle of the Black Madonna is still in early stages of production. This website will provide continuous updates, media, and event announcements regarding the premiere of the work, which is anticipated for the fall of 2012. To learn more about the story, please visit our Story Page. To read about the factual basis for The Canticle of the Black Madonna and to hear samples of Tiziana and Ethan’s work, please visit our Resources Page. To keep informed about our most recent developments, please visit our News and Updates Page. If you would like to write us directly, please visit our Contact Page.
“You are the miracles of creation.
You are the in-breath and the out-breath of God.
You are the song of divine love-making.
Your essence is whole and complete, now.
Dream sweetly, my beloved children.”
~Tiziana DellaRovere
The Canticle of the Black Madonna
