‘Lament for a Stranger’ and ‘Stranger for a Lament’ are two companion music-theatre monologues set in the same rain-soaked, jazz-infused neo-noir world, where memory is treacherous, obsession takes root in the shadows, and every work of art demands a sacrifice.

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The first follows a lonely clarinetist whose chance encounter with an enigmatic woman draws him into a labyrinth of longing, illusion and guilt. The second returns to the same story from the other side of the mirror, uncovering the hidden hand that has been shaping its tragic melody all along. Like two variations on a haunting refrain, the plays echo, contradict and complete one another, inviting us to question who truly composes our lives—and who is merely playing the part written for them.

 

Steeped in the atmosphere of classic film noir and psychological suspense, these companion pieces explore the perilous union of artist and muse, the intoxicating allure of obsession, and the desperate human desire to preserve beauty long after it has begun to fade.

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Composed by Simone Spagnolo, on texts by Giordano Trischitta, these works’ music unfolds a complex blend of jazz sonorities, contemporary music-theatre techniques and virtuoso clarinet playing, enabling a musical flow that, like an invisible director, governs the pace of the narrative and its haunting psychological obsessions.

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Specially commissioned by clarinetist extraordinaire Ruben Lopes Jacinto, the original mise-en-scène and recording session took place in July 2025. Full production premiered at Casa da Música Jorge Peixinho, in Montijo, Lisbon.

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This project is kindly funded by DGARTES, Direção-Geral das Artes (Portugal), with generous in-kind support by Casa da Música Jorge Peixinho.