In Parenthesis (opera)
| Opera dates | |
|---|---|
| Title: | In parenthesis |
| Shape: | Opera in two acts |
| Original language: | English |
| Music: | Iain Bell |
| Libretto : | David Antrobus and Emma Jenkins |
| Literary source: | In Parenthesis by David Jones |
| Premiere: | May 13, 2016 |
| Place of premiere: | Cardiff, Wales Millennium Center |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ¾ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | England and France, 1915–1916 |
| people | |
In Parenthesis is an opera in two acts by Iain Bell (music) with a libretto by David Antrobus and Emma Jenkins based on the epic poem of the same name by the Welsh poet David Jones from 1937. It premiered on May 13, 2016 at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff.
action
first act
In a place out of time, two bards as personifications of Britannia and Germania remember the First World War and the "many beautiful men" who took part in it.
An English parade ground at dawn in December 1915
John Ball, a young private of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, appears late at a parade of his military train and is cautioned by Sergeant Snell and Lieutenant Jenkins.
The train leaves for Southampton docks in rainy weather. At Ball are his comrades Lance Corporal Lewis, Private Watcyn, Private Wastebottom and Dai Greatcoat. Ball experiences hallucinations. At first, his comrades seem to turn into hunting dogs. When the gangplank of the ship is then lowered, he feels the situation as a transition to the underworld.
France, December 1915
A short rest period after landing is interrupted by a grenade explosion. The men leave for the front. Ball's hallucinations continue. This time he sees Lieutenant Jenkins as the figure of Christ who leads his sheep through the wilderness. The procession is watched by a “choir of remembrance”. The sergeant responsible for the Marne joins them. At the front, Ball and Lewis take the first watch.
Christmas morning at the front, 1915
A German soldier sings a Christmas carol, and the soldiers of the English train respond in English. At breakfast, old soldier Dai Greatcoat argues with the Marne sergeant about which of them took part in more battles. A grenade attack interrupts the dispute.
Second act
Café in the military headquarters, June 1916
Six months later the men are relaxing in a French café, where they are served by the waitress Alice. They talk about the fact that the real fighting is taking place in the south. Ball has premonitions. The train was ordered to leave for the Somme that same evening. On their way to the “magnetic south pole” they sing a marching song. The “Choir of Remembrance” responds with the words of the ancient Welsh hero song Y Gododdin .
Dawn on the Somme, July 1916
Ball and his friend Lewis enjoy a moment of calm at Queens Nullah near the Mametz Forest. The company receives the order to attack. Ball collapses during a bombing. Lewis is killed by a grenade. At dawn, the voices of dryads can be heard from the forest . The surviving men must continue to advance into the forest. Jenkins is next to fall. The dryads under their queen of the forest bring death and destruction.
Ball has been separated from his comrades in the forest. He meets the Bard of Britannia and realizes the beauty of the forest. Ball's remaining comrades fall one after the other during the battle. He himself receives a leg shot. He manages to crawl out of the forest. The queen of the forest and the dryads adorn the corpses of the fallen with wreaths of flowers and conjure up renewal and rebirth.
Work history
The opera was commissioned by the Welsh National Opera to mark its seventieth birthday and the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in World War I. The libretto is by David Antrobus and Emma Jenkins. It is based on the 1937 epic In Parenthesis by the Welsh poet David Jones .
The world premiere took place on May 13, 2016 at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff, where the work has been performed several times. The same production has also been performed at the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Royal Opera House in London. The large ensemble of the Welsh National Opera played under the musical direction of Carlo Rizzi . The staging was by David Pountney . The set and equipment were by Robert Innes Hopkins . Andrew Bidlack (Private John Ball), Peter Coleman-Wright (Bard of Britannia and Quartermaster), Alexandra Deshorties (Bard of Germania, Alice the Barmaid and Queen of the Forest), George Humphreys (Lieutenant Jenkins), Marcus Farnsworth (Lance Corporal) sang Lewis), Mark Le Brocq (Sergeant Snell), Donald Maxwell (Dai Greatcoat) and Graham Clark (Sergeant on the Marne). A recording of the premiere was shown on the Internet as part of the Opera Platform .
Web links
- Official website with work information and interviews about the world premiere
- In parenthesis. Performance information and table of contents on the Welsh National Opera website
- In parenthesis. Performance information on the Royal Opera House website
- Review of the premiere. In: The Guardian of May 15, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ In Parenthesis. Performance information and table of contents on the Welsh National Opera website, accessed August 15, 2016.
- ^ Work information on the website of the composer Iain Bell , accessed on August 15, 2016.
- ↑ Bell - In Parenthesis. Work information and video on The Opera Platform ( Memento from October 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ).