Wednesday, September 06, 2006

While Opera In New York City Turns To Rock Music For Renewal; Opera In London Turns To Multi-Media, Dance, And The Ancient Past For Renewal

At the London Royal Opera House, Covent Garden:

THE ASSASSIN TREE by Stuart MacRae
Libretto by Simon Armitage
Opera in three acts (2006)

LONDON PREMIERE

6, 7, and 8 September 2006 at 7.30 pm

Sung in English

Approx. running time: 1 hour

Royal Opera House, Edinburgh International Festival and Scottish Opera co-production. Commissioned by ROH2 and Edinburgh International Festival with support from The Morton Charitable Trust.

Conductor: Garry Walker

Direction, lighting and set concept: Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten
Costume designs: Clifford Portier
Lighting: Henk Danner
Video: Joost Rekveld

Background

The Assassin Tree, the first opera by the outstanding young Scottish composer Stuart MacRae, with a libretto by the poet Simon Armitage, is the first Royal Opera House co-commission with the Edinburgh International Festival, at which MacRae is Edinburgh Festival Creative Fellow 2005/6.

Following their critically acclaimed production of Orfeo ed Euridice for Opera North in Edinburgh in 2004, Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten continue to explore dance as a vital element within music theatre.

The opera centres around the conflicting feelings arising from the unusual means of succession in the Grove of Nemi in ancient Rome . The priest of the goddess Diana, who is also her lover, can only be succeeded by the man who kills him. Amid the sadness of loss, the goddess looks forward to a new disciple - and waits to know whether it will be the Slave or the Youth.

Four singers and a chamber orchestra of players from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House will present this challenging and exciting new work, conducted by Garry Walker, Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Further details.

















Roman forces gather to protect the sacred grove of Anubis and the temple treasure to stave off a Carthaginian raid on their allies. Figures from Navigator and Old Glory. Temple by Grand Manner and house with courtyard from Old Glory

Caption and image credit: (c) John Gleason and Ancient Wargaming in the Age of Computers. With thanks.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home