Morley Opera: Scenes From Modern Opera

Directed by Michael Ashman
Conducted by Philip Headlam
Presented by Morley Opera School

Morley Opera School performs a set of scenes from operas of our time in June 2013 at the Bridewell Theatre, London. To honour Michael Tippett, one of the great composers of the 20th century and who taught at Morley College, we perform a scene from King Priam, his opera about the Trojan War. We follow Tippett’s spirit and guiding mission for new music and art by including one of the finest opera composers working today in the U.K., Judith Weir. Included are scenes from her most recent opera, Miss Fortune, premiered in 2012 and an earlier opera that has been performed around the world, Blonde Eckbert. We also add scenes from operas by two of the most distinctive voices of the 20th century: Mathis der Maler by Paul Hindemith and Der Protagonist by Kurt Weill. Hindemith’s opera is about the role of the artist in times of political upheaval and Weill’s witty opera, his earliest full stage work, concerns the obsession of artists and actors for their roles.In addition, we perform Stephen Oliver’s delicious satire on fairy tales, Cinderella or The Vindication of Sloth in which the Devil, the Seven Deadly Sins and three dysfunctional sisters are all combined ...in under 15 minutes. The scenes will be performed by students of Morley Opera School with piano accompaniment.