Wolfe’s oratorio revisits Triangle factory fire with vivid musical force
Julia Wolfe’s multimedia oratorio Fire in My Mouth has received its London premiere at the Royal Festival Hall, performed by Marin Alsop, the Philharmonia and three choirs. The work recounts the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, where the deaths of largely immigrant women were caused in part by locked exits, and matters because it presents the tragedy through specific voices and experiences rather than broad political symbolism.
Wolfe’s score evokes sewing machines, machinery and the sea through restless rhythms, layered speech and unusual orchestral effects, while archive photographs, film, gestures and scissors expand the performance visually. Despite its complexity, the production remained musically focused, with praise for the Philharmonia, London Voices, RSNO Youth Chorus and Farnham Youth Choir; it concludes by naming all 146 victims, whose identities were only fully established in 2011.
- Wolfe’s oratorio powerfully retells the 1911 factory fire.
- 146 mostly immigrant workers died after exits were locked.
- Music, archive imagery and choral performance remain tightly integrated.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Fire in My Mouth review – Wolfe’s multimedia oratorio tells its tragic story with focus and power”.