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|  Ben Frost - The Wasp Factory (2016) CITAZIONE Two years on from his all-conquering ninth album, Aurora, Ben Frost returns to Bedroom Community with The Wasp Factory, the soundtrack to his own operatic adaptation of the cult debut novel by late Scottish writer Iain Banks. First debuting at Austria’s Bregenz Festival in August 2013 and running for a short period throughout select European venues, The Wasp Factory continued Frost’s flirtation with the world of theatre and performance art but represented his debut outing as a director.
In original form, Banks’ novel centres on the anti-hero and psychopathic teenager Frank living on a remote island in rural Scotland. Transferring this to the theatre, Frost chose to portray Frank’s narration through a series of female singers, backed with a live string ensemble. Presented outside of the stage for the first time, this album offers a different side to Frost, away from the harsh soundscapes of Aurora, and gravitating towards a warmer take on the modern classical sound. Shorn of the visual stimuli and context that comes with seeing The Wasp Factory performed live, this fifteen-track album will probably satisfy only the most fanatical of Frost followers. Of which there are plenty. è in giro. |
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