Lukas Pappenfusscline and Tyler Bouque in a scene from John Aylward’s “Oblivion.”
In August 2022, The Grind in the Higgins University Center was transformed into a movie set. But for the duration of the shoot, the actors never spoke a word on film. The production was “Oblivion,” a one-act chamber opera composed by Professor John Aylward and inspired by Dante’s “Purgatorio” — which explores the concepts of memory, identity, and redemption.
Earlier this year, the film was awarded the “Best Musical Film” prize at the World Film Festival in Cannes.
“Oblivion” follows two amnesiac Wanderers through a modern conception of a kind of Purgatory. With an accompanying ensemble of viola, cello, contrabass, electric guitar, and electronics, the story explores what might be gained from remembering one’s own life, and whether remembrance brings knowledge and perspective or pain.
“I’m thrilled with the award and the success on the international film circuit,” Aylward said. The film will have its European premiere at the Messina Opera Film Festival in Italy this fall.
Aylward wrote the story, libretto, and music for the 70-minute film, which was co-produced by Ravenser Odd Productions and independent filmmaker Graham Swon. It was directed by Laine Rettmer with Alice Millar as director of photography, and stars Ty Boque, Nina Guo, Lukas Pappenfuscline, and Cailin Marcel Manson, professor of practice and director of music performance at Clark.
Aylward began work on Oblivion just before the COVID-19 pandemic and immediately began to imagine a live staging, which seemed impossible at the time. He pitched the idea of creating a film to Swon and Rettmer, who became pivotal collaborators. The team shot the film in 12 days at Clark, with external filming in West Brimfield.
“I loved [Dante’s] writings as a young man,” Aylward told ClarkNOW during the film shoot. “I wanted to do something with the idea of purgatory or the afterlife, trying to find ways to explore memory and life experiences — remembering your past, recreating it, putting it together.”
“Oblivion” is a very Clark affair. Along with Aylward and Manson, Professor Kevin McGerigle served as a technical consultant, and four Clark students (now alumni) — Nicole Overbaugh ’24, Oli Gavin ’21, Graham Pelligra ’23, and Izzy Bacallao [JK1] — were employed behind the scenes as production assistants.
In its review of “Oblivion,” OperaWire wrote, “In this, his second opera, Aylward has crafted a brilliant piece of drama that ranks among the classics of absurdist theater. And like all great works, ‘Oblivion’ continuously divulges new layers of meaning. In the space of an hour, Aylward lays out a vast moral and philosophical labyrinth for the listener to roam.”
The film’s cast recording, released on New Focus Recordings in September 2023, features Laura Williamson, viola; MIZU, cello; Greg Chudzik, contrabass; Daniel Lippel, guitar; John Aylward, electronics; Stratis Minakakis, musical director; and Joel Gordon, recording engineer.
The World Film Festival in Cannes is an annual competition for international filmmakers dedicated to feature films, short films, independent films, documentaries, experimental films, animated films, and more. It is designed to widely uplift or showcase emerging talents, those unknown artists who bring a fresh and essential perspective.
John Aylward is a recipient of the John S. Guggenheim Foundation fellowship and has been a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. He has been twice recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has also been awarded residencies at MacDowell, the Virginia Center for the Arts, and other artist spaces. He is the recipient of commissions from the Fromm Foundation at Harvard and the Koussevitzky Commission at the Library of Congress. Early in his career, he won first prize from the International Society for Contemporary Music. Ayward is a co-director of Ecce Arts, a contemporary new music and performance art ensemble, as well as the founder of the Etchings Festival in Auvillar, France, which continues today in the U.S.
