Australian Stage Premiere
Opera in two acts, Op. 85 by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Myfanwy Piper
Benjamin Britten is the most important British composer of the twentieth century, and is the greatest composer of opera in English. Based on a Henry James ghost story, Owen Wingrave is a statement of Britten’s lifelong pacifism. Composed during the Vietnam War, it is the story of a young soldier from an eminent military family whose anti-war instincts lead him to rebel against his upbringing. Desperate to keep his would-be bride and prove he isn’t a coward, he is forced to confront the ghosts of his ancestry.
The music is Britten at his refined, luminous best, with influences ranging from Gamelan to twelve-tone techniques. Imara Savage returns to Sydney Chamber Opera to direct the work’s Australian stage premiere.
Conductor
Jack Symonds
Director
Imara Savage
Set & Costume Design
Katren Wood
Lighting Design
Ross Graham
With
Morgan Pearse
Georgia Bassingthwaighte
Rowena Cowley
Emily Edmonds
Paul Ferris
Pascal Herington
Simon Lobelson
Kornelia Perchy
Boys’ choir
Boys from Trinity Preparatory School Choir
Mark Agyagasi
Nathan Fok
Massimo Ianni
Alan Kurien
Richard Lee
Shraven Suriyanarayanan
Peter Taurian
Movement ensemble
Tom Christophersen
Luke Holmes
Brenden Hooke
Heath Ivey-Law
Tim Kemp
Ryan Knight
Liam Nunan
Cody Ross
Guy Simon
Edward Skaines
Instruments
Rebecca Gill
Emma Jardine
James Wannan
Mathisha Panagoda
Steven Adler
Jane Bishop
Alex Fontaine
Peter Smith
Long Nguyen
Michael Wray
Emma Bolton
Milo Dodd
Joshua Hill
William Jackson
Stephen Whale
Carriageworks
Bay 20, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh
100 minutes