In celebration of this week’s release of his 4th Antony and the Johnsons album, Swanlights, Antony Hegarty is guest-editing a series at the Guardian that includes an upcoming phone chat with his friend/collaborator Björk, a stream of the full new LP, and an interview with famed performance artist Marina Abramović. According to the Abramović piece, the pair are currently rehearsing The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, a biographical opera set to premiere at the Manchester International Festival next July.
Per the event’s listing, Hegarty and Abramović are joined by longtime Tom Waits collaborator Robert Wilson, actor Willem Dafoe, and other performance artists/actors from around the world for the opera, which features original and traditional music, including songs written and performed by Antony himself. “It will be an emotional, beautiful and lyrical piece,” said festival director Alex Poots recently. “Antony’s music for it is quite heavenly – by which I mean it is incredibly ethereal.”
Meanwhile, Antony and the Johnsons stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman on Friday for a stunning rendition of the new single “Thank You for Your Love.” Video of their brilliant performance is below.