The Raven

In traditional Japanese stories it often happens that animals and plants are in relation with humans and they converse. Contrary to European countries, in Asia, the cradle of animist traditions since time immemorial, there is no real frontier between humans, animals and plants. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven reminded me of Japanese Nô. Vision of the world in Japanese Nô tradition is not anthropocentric. Thus, certain principal characters are animals, plants or supernatural spirits.  The rational human world, the madness that surpasses the reason and the relation with the incomprehensible silence of the nature ; such is my understanding of Poe’s poem that served to compose this monodrama.
Toshio Hosokawa

Performed in English with French subtitles