Ophelia of the Spirits

Winter

Ophelia — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:17:23 +0000

OK – so it’s not really a ’song’ as such in that it has no words!! But this piece was inspired by the idea of watching snowflakes fall gently outside the window, and the childlike wonder and magic of a world coated in glistening white. It was also a metaphorical title (as all my titles seem to be) – there was an element of longing and wistfulness I wanted to capture, the sense that something precious is just out of reach – perhaps a longing for a childhood we cannot reclaim, or the wish for a return of innocence. I have long held precious the notion of ‘The Lost Child’, and it’s a theme that has recurred often and sometimes painfully in my work, particularly ‘Ophelia of the Spirits’ songs. I remember having a conversation with a composer of my acquaintance where we agreed that composing music, or any creative activity really, is essentially a moment of reconnection with our ‘inner child’ – the untarnished creative force which suddenly springs out from behind our inhibitions and doubts and allows us to experience moments of pure joy through our creativity. The element of longing or sadness inherent in the piece ‘Winter’ also springs from the fact that, as we grow older, we are often disappointed with life. People let us down, the world seems full of cruel and horrible things, and sometimes it seems like it is impossible to believe in anything anymore. When we are children, the world and its possibilities seem endless. It’s only by returning to that moment and reclaiming it for ourselves in the present that we are able to understand just how much we have lost along the way. I guess that ‘Winter’ gave me the chance to say all of that, even without words! Sometimes, communicating the feeling is enough.

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‘Winter’ is an instrumental piano piece featured on the EP ‘Ophelia of the Spirits’.

Click here to buy Ophelia of the Spirits at Angela’s online store.

Click here to buy Ophelia of the Spirits on iTunes.

John Everett Millais

Ophelia — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:35:48 +0000

One of the most famous paintings ever done of Ophelia was by 19th Century English painter John Everett Millais:

John Everett Millais on Wikipedia

Shakespeare’s Ophelia

Ophelia — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:20:45 +0000

Well, this is the obvious one! Shakespeare’s tragic female was a huge inspiration behind Ophelia of the Spirits, not the least because the story I was telling through my songs was one of a deep emotional wounding and then empowerment in a quite personal way. In a way perhaps it was easier to reference a character rather than fully ‘own’ my own catharsis!

Ophelia is a character in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. She is the love interest of the main character, Hamlet, prince of Denmark. As Hamlet goes slowly mad, he distances himself from her and pushes her away, eventually, in his famous speech, famously saying “Get thee to a nunnery!”

More soon to come about Ophelia, but for now you can find out more about her here:

Ophelia on Wikipedia

Song Lyrics Countdown

Ophelia — Thu, 27 May 2010 06:02:52 +0000

Subscribe to the site’s RSS Feed, lyrics and the stories behind the songs will be appearing here one by one over the coming weeks!!

Juliet of the Spirits (Giulietta degli Spiriti)

Ophelia — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:39:04 +0000

Some of the film buffs in da house may have figured out that a large part of the name ‘Ophelia of the Spirits’ also comes from the film ‘Juliet of the Spirits’, made by Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. Why, you ask? That is a question that can’t be covered in only one post, so suffice for now to talk a little bit about the film, which is a surrealist journey where Juliet (or Giulietta in Italian) – played by Giulietta Masina, explores her subconscious and the odd lifestyle of her sexy neighbor, Suzy (Sandra Milo), as she attempts to deal with the mundane life and philandering husband (Mario Pisu) that oppress her. As she increasingly taps into her desires, as well as her demons, she slowly gains more self-awareness and, ultimately, independence.

I saw lots of parallels between Shakespeare’s Ophelia and Giulietta (Juliet) (weirdly of course, also the name of another of Shakespeare’s tragic heroines), although Juliet’s ability to deal with her demons in the film, and her ability to strike out on her own, achieving freedom and happiness, was in stark contrast to the ending of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was as if these two characters, one medieval, one contemporary, had struck at the heart of the question of a woman’s spiritual and sexual independance, but had experienced such different endings as a result (who would forget Hamlet’s “Get thee to a nunnery” speech!?).

As a weird aside, Fellini’s private life was a subject of much debate and controversy, and the lead actress in Giulietta degli Spiriti, also called Giulietta (Masina) in real life, was also Fellini’s real-life wife. So much has been made over whether this film was in fact art imitating life – what a weird weird situation to have found themselves in!

More to come, for now, you can learn more about Juliet of the Spirits at:

Juliet of the Spirits on Wikipedia

Another VERY weird side-note: I had no idea the B-52’s had done a song called “Juliet of the Spirits”!!

Here are some clips from the movie with the B-52’s song (just for laughs!):

The Secret Garden Mini-Album

Ophelia — Sat, 15 May 2010 23:01:30 +0000

Ophelia’s sophomore effort brought with it a more earthy aesthetic, with wistful overtones. Scroll down to order your copy.

Ophelia of the Spirits EP

Ophelia — Sat, 15 May 2010 22:51:42 +0000

Ophelia’s first release, featuring 6 haunting tracks. Scroll down the page to order your copy.

About Ophelia of the Spirits

Ophelia — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:45:39 +0000

Ophelia of the Spirits was born when Australian composer & singer Angela Little was inspired to draw on the characters of Shakeapeare and Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini as muses for her own stories of love, loss and redemption. Since then, she has appeared as a composer and singer in Baz Luhrmann’s film “Australia” and performed as a guest with Australian greats including Tim Freedman of The Whitlams. With her haunting voice and live shows which often feature rich visual imagery and weird and wonderful instruments including the musical saw and the Tibetan singing bowl, Ophelia of the Spirits weaves a silken web that will entwine you in its mysterious beauty.

Buy “The Secret Garden” & “Ophelia of the Spirits” on CD

Ophelia — Wed, 12 May 2010 11:21:06 +0000

Payments are securely processed through PayPal and CD orders will be delivered to your door.

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The Secret Garden

Mini-Album

BUY ON CD ($14.95 AUD):

BUY ON iTUNES

TRACK LISTING:

1) LEAVE A LIGHT ON / 2) GREEDY / 3) THIS WAR / 4) THE GATEKEEPER

5) LIKE RAIN / 6) SOMEONE LIKE ME / 7) FIREFLIES

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Ophelia of the Spirits

EP

BUY ON CD ($12.00 AUD):

BUY EP ON iTUNES

TRACK LISTING:

1) SHAME / 2) HOUSE OF CARDS / 3) NOTHINGNESS

4) LITTLE PRINCESS / 5) YOUR ANGEL / 6) WINTER

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View purchases and check out:

Fireflies

Ophelia — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:56:31 +0000

Ophelia of the Spirits (Angela Little) & Luca De Francesco perform their song ‘Fireflies’ live at The Vanguard