In 1998, puppeteer Basil Twist debuted his boundary-breaking response to Berlioz's 1830 "Symphonie Fantastique" to universal acclaim. In the two decades since this New York premiere, Twist has become an internationally recognized artist in opera, ballet, and on Broadway, and has won countless awards including the illustrious MacArthur Fellowship.

In 2018 Twist revisited his legendary masterpiece in its original home, the HERE Arts Center in NYC with live accompaniment by the virtuosic Christopher O'Riley playing the exquisite Liszt transcription for concert piano and in a significantly larger aquarium. Symphonie floated and swirled for a critically lauded and sold-out six-month run, fortunately allowing the finest performances to be captured in front of, behind, and inside the 1,000-gallon water tank by Twist and director Bobby Sheehan of Working Pictures. 

The resulting film is not just a document of a performance but rather an artistic expression in its own right. A delight for anyone who enjoys puppetry, it weaves imagery as seen by the audience with the unseen backstage ballet of the puppeteers and the emotional synergy of the live musical performance.

D: Basil Twist, US, 2019, 1h

Discussion follows with puppeteer and Roth scholar Basil Twist.