Grotesque - Operina
Grotesque - Operina
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A one act operina (very small opera) for soprano, clarinet (or flute), four hands piano and dancer.
The score also includes a CD of the chamber works and a DVD of the first performance held at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on 2nd April 2019 (also linked here).
Grotesque is a tragic comedy with quite an absurd plot involving an old man – the character played by the clarinettist, a young girl, sung by the soprano and a ghost whose antics are created by the sounds of the piano. Its structure is theme and variations as in the original version for piano four hands and the plot is described by a narrator. It is a little questionable whether in a performance that is staged the narrator is really necessary. In fact there is no mention of a narrator on the original score though when recording the work a narrator could be deemed necessary to outline the antics of the characters who cannot be seen. In a staged version the characters create the images and the “narration” on the score can be viewed as merely stage directions. The dancer would therefore act out the antics of the ghost and the instrumentalists would become the characters described by the stage directions. Composed 1951 rev. 1961
Edited by Jeanell Carrigan
Download samples
[The performers were: Goetz Richter (narrator), Narelle Yeo (soprano), Katherine Howarth (clarinet), Jeanell Carrigan (piano), Tonya Lemoh (piano), Ines Paxton (girl, ghost), Andrew Knight (old man), Filmed by Connor Malanos.]
ISMN9790720214559
$60.00 for instant PDF download (score and parts)