Antarctica

Chamber opera

Libretto by Tom Wright

Edition: Performance material

Product Details

Description

A group of explorers is struggling through the Antarctic and come across a girl who was cut off in the ice in the 19th century and now retells her experiences. The Australian composer Mary Finsterer and the dramatist Tom Wright have set their tale of exploration on the continent which was long known as the perennial ice sheet. The Antarctic has preserved the geological history of the earth like a book and can now tell its own story: ‘In a time when anthropogenic climate change is destabilising all centres (political, cultural, scientific), Antarctica becomes a stage for a drama of the future.’ (Mary Finsterer)

Orchestral Cast

1 (auch Picc. und Altfl.) · 0 · Engl. Hr. · 1 (auch Bassklar.) · 0 - 1 · 1 · 1 · 0 - S. (Glsp. · Crot. · Xyl. · Vibr. · Röhrengl. · Beck. · Gongs · Tamt. · 2 Bong. · kl. Tr. · 2 Tomt. · P.) (1 Spieler) - Hfe. · Klav. (auch Cel.) - Str. (1 · 1 · 1 · 1 · 1)

Cast

The Daughter of the Captain · soprano - The Theologian · soprano - The Natural Philosopher · mezzo-soprano - The Cartographer · tenor - The Captain · baritone - The Prima Creatura, a mystic vision · actor - The Ship · Electro-acoustic

More Information

Title:

Antarctica

Chamber opera

Libretto by Tom Wright

Language:

English

Edition:

Performance material

Publisher/Label:

Schott Music

Year of composition:

2020 - 2021

Duration:

90 ′

World Premiere:

June 5, 2022 · Amsterdam (NL)
Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ
Holland Festival
Conductor: Jack Symonds · Asko|Schönberg Ensemble
Original staging: Imara Savage · Costumes: Elizabeth Gadsby · Set design: Elizabeth Gadsby
(scenic)

Commissioned work :

Antarctica has been commissioned by Asko|Schönberg, with the generous assistance of The Julian Burnside AO Trust for Mary Finsterer and the University of Tasmania