Contemporary Opera Marin at Holy Sepulchre, the National Musicians’ Church
All performances FREE admission, in person concerts only.
Lunchtimes at 1-2pm with a repeat performance in the evening at 6pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only. Friday will be 6pm only.
Tuesday, August 2 - 1pm and 6pm
Music to Save the Planet - three fascinating music theatre works with an environmental bent. (65 minutes)
HK Gruber - The Expulsion from Paradise - a modern retelling of the Old Testament story.
Frederic Rzewski - To the Earth - a moving setting of an Homeric ode for speaking percussionist.
Peter Maxwell Davies - Yellow Cake Review - an environmental cabaret for chanteuse and actors that was instrumental in thwarting construction of a nuclear plant on the Orkney Islands in the 80s.
Wednesday, August 3 - 1pm and 6pm
British mini-operas/(serious) pop by British composers/Britain speaks...with an American accent (75 minutes)
Amazing how much information can be packed into less than 8 minutes in this delightful collection of seriously audience pleasing works by Britain’s finest.
4 Mini-operas: Jonathan Dove-Greed/Julian Grant-Anger/Stephan Oliver- Cinderella/Barry Russell- First Love, LastOrders
4 (Serious) pop songs - Benjamin Britten-The Truth About Love/Cornelius Cardew- Work Song/Madeleine Dring-Belinda & Dot/Alec Roth-The Big Wash Cycle
4 Narrations - Stanley Hawley-Ballad of Hell/Roxanna Panufnik-Piano Tuner, Untune Me That Tune/William Walton-Polka & Tango from Facade/Judith Weir-Roll off the Ragged Rocks of Sin
4 (Serious) pop instrumentals: Sally Beamish-Penguin Cafe for piano trio/ Michael Finnissy (Gershwin)-How Long Has This Been Going On/Samuel Coleridge-Taylor- 2 spirituals for piano trio
Thursday, August 4 - 1pm and 6pm
American chamber opera...from a distance (75 minutes)
Gordon Getty - Dreaming of Emily, to keep away the dark - an intimate staging of Emily Dickinson poems.
Philip Glass - Wichita Vortex Sutra - Allan Ginsburg’s powerful anti-war poem with a gentle piano underscoring.
Leonard Bernstein - Trouble in Tahiti - the iconic 1950s American masterpiece for two soloists and jazz(y) chorus.
Friday, August 5 - 6pm only
It's All About Mozart (75 minutes)
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff - Mozart & Salieri - Pushkin’s verse drama hauntingly brought to musical life by the Russian master.
Arron Jay Kernis - Mozart en Route - the young American composer (with San Francisco roots) gives us a brief update on Mozart chamber music.
Judith Weir - Scipio's Dream - a brilliant reimagining (and shortening) of Mozart’s early opera, made suitable for modern sensibilities.
Saturday, August 6 - MARATHON PERFORMANCE
1:00 Trouble in Tahiti (Bernstein)
1:50 Sally Beamish / Michael Finnissy (Gershwin) / Samuel Coleridge-Taylor pop instrumentals
2:15 2:30 2:45 3:15 3:30 3:50
Cinderella (Stephen Oliver)
Benjamin Britten / Madeleine Dring / Cornelius Cardew pop songs Yellow Cake Review (Peter Maxwell Davies)
Stanley Hawley / Roxanna Panufnik / William Walton / Judith Weir narrations Expulsion from Paradise (HK Gruber)
Greed (Jonathan Dove)
4:00 Mozart and Salieri (Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff) 4:45 Mozart en Route Arron Jay Kernis)
5:55 Scipio (Judith Weir)
6:20 PARTY!!!