Written on Skin
Written on Skin is an opera by the British composer George Benjamin. It was premiered at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2012, and received its British premiere at the Royal Opera House in London in March 2013; Benjamin conducted for both of these premiere seasons.
The libretto by Martin Crimp is based on a legend of the troubadour Guillaume de Cabestanh;[1] the story is also repeated in The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio. The action takes place in 12th-century Provence. The wealthy Protector pays the Boy to create and illustrate a manuscript about his family. The Boy and the Protector's wife Agnès are attracted to each other. The Protector murders the Boy and forces Agnès to eat the Boy's heart. Agnès commits suicide. 'Angels' comment throughout on the action from a modern-day perspective.[2]
The success of the opera in performance has motivated the Royal Opera to commission a new full-length opera by Crimp and Benjamin, to be premiered in 2018. The title is not yet known.[3]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast,[2] Aix-en-Provence July 2012 (Conductor: George Benjamin) |
English premiere cast,[4] Royal Opera House 16 March 2013 (Conductor: George Benjamin) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnès | soprano | Barbara Hannigan | Barbara Hannigan |
| Protector | bass-baritone | Christopher Purves | Christopher Purves |
| First Angel/Boy | countertenor | Bejun Mehta | Bejun Mehta |
| Second Angel/Marie | mezzo-soprano | Rebecca Jo Loeb | Victoria Simmonds |
| Third Angel/John | tenor | Allan Clayton | Allan Clayton |
References
Notes
- ↑ Royal Opera House website, Written on Skin, accessed 16 March 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Written on Skin, review by Andrew Clements in The Guardian, 8 July 2012, accessed 16 March 2013
- ↑ Royal Opera House website, "The Royal Opera commissions new work from George Benjamin and Martin Crimp", 14 June 2013 (accessed 14 June 2013).
- ↑ Royal Opera House website, cast list, accessed 16 March 2013
Other sources