A Chamber Opera in Two Acts | 105 minutes
Libretto by Alasdair Middleton adapted from the novel by Jane Austen 3S.2Mez.A.2T.2Bar Soli Pf (4 hands) Also available in a version arranged for ensemble: 1(Picc).1(CA).1.1–2.0.0.0–Perc–Pf–1.1.1.1.1 OverviewHow do you set a classic novel to music? Indeed how do you set that most popular of English novelists, Jane Austen, to music? When first reading Mansfield Park, Dove felt immediately that it was an opera. When Heritage Opera, which tours opera in English stately homes, approached him for a commission, he thought this would be the perfect way of staging Mansfield Park – in a large drawing room, using 10 singers accompanied simply and strikingly with piano played in duet. With librettist Alasdair Middleton, he set about adapting the novel. And from the first sung words by the whole company, “Mansfield Park, Chapter One”, there is strong narrative drive, impeccable vocal writing and wonderful ensembles that sparkle with style and wit.
Following the critical success of the first performances, the Royal Academy of Music in London presented it with their opera students for two performances in their 230-seat Sir Jack Lyons Theatre, proving the piece works well in small- to medium-size proscenium arch theatres, and that it is the perfect work for young artist schemes and music colleges. Commissioned by Heritage Opera
Ensemble version funded in memory of Rosalind Prain (1939–2017) |
EP72067 - Available from Edition Peters
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