Work Information
| commissioned by BBC TV and AVRO Holland in association with RM Associates and the Dutch Stimulating Fund |
| Work Notes |
written in collaboration with Margaret Williams for a television film in the "Not Mozart" series |
Publisher |
Chester Music Ltd |
| Category |
Opera and Music Theatre |
Year Composed |
1991 |
| Duration |
30 Minutes |
Solo Voice(s) |
Bass, Mezzo Soprano, Soprano, Tenor |
| Chorus |
[SATB] |
Solo Instrument(s) |
Tenor [=High Baritone] |
| Orchestration |
2cl/2tpt/hp.kbd/gtr/2vn.db |
Languages |
Arabic |
| Availability |
Hire Explain this... |
Programme Note
BRIEF SYNOPSIS
Scipio, a modern office worker, is spending a boring day when suddenly two of his colleagues transform themselves in to the goddesses Fortune and Constancy. They insist that he choose between them: Fortune shows him the excitements of following chance and inclination while Constancy, taking him to heaven to meet his heroic ancestors, emphasises the satisfactions of obeying life's obligations dutifully. Scipio has some difficulty in deciding, but in the end chooses Constancy. Fortune is furious and throws him back to earth, where he makes an uncomfortable landing in his office, in the midst of a chorus singing the praises of those who choose rightly.
© Judith Weir
Reviews
-
...a wacky rescoring, using a synthesiser for the recitatives. The drama is no longer an opera seria vision of pre-Christian Carthage but a soapy modern office romance in which a computer keyboard takes the place of a harpsichord...Weir is one fo the few contemporary composers prepared to enlist laughter as a musical ally. It is a risky but necessary ploy.
, The Independent
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The reworking of Mozart's original is witty and provocative, giving the singers meaty parts and the orchestra a score worth playing, while there is no hint of a slavish rendition...The work deserves to be taken up by any group which wants a light work which can be easily absorbed by a wider operatic audience.
, Musical Opinion
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