FULL SIX WORD OPERAS London 2011 Natalie Raybould, John Savournin

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: Six Word Operas  
• Composer: Darren Bloom, Nicholas Bootiman, Samuel Bordoli, Owen Bourne, Phillip Cooke, Gregory Emfietzis, Cheryl Frances-Hoad, Martin Gaughan, Jordan Hunt, Brian Inglis, Matthew Lee Knowles, Christopher Scobie, Philip Venables, Matthew West, James Young  
• Libretto: Words by the composers, various authors, anon and Annie Bootiman  
• Venue & Opera Company: Riverside Studios, London, UK  
• Recorded: August 11 & 12, 2011
• Type: Concert Semi-staged
• Singers: Natalie Raybould, John Savournin
• Conductor: James Young   
• Orchestra: The Warehouse Ensemble  
• Stage Director:   
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: tete a tete  
• Date Published: 2011  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  Synopsis

  Six word stories became an internet fad a few years ago, spearheaded by Wired magazine’s challenge to a number of eminent writers to emulate Ernest Hemingway’s (purportedly) bet-winning and favourite work: For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn. I first read about the concept in one of London’s now-defunct free papers, and was struck by the effect a six-word libretto might have on a composer – or a lot of composers – and the effect a slideshow-like presentation of tiny operatic snapshots of intense meaning might have on an audience.

  The first, vast raft of Six Word Operas was performed at the Rosemary Branch Festival in 2009, and a selection of these was presented at last year’s Tête à Tête: the Opera Festival. I feel immensely privileged that so many of our finest and busiest young composers have donated their time to this project – many of these pieces were written in a single day, forcing an unusually direct and unselfconscious outpouring of musical substance. This year we present 15 brand-new dramatic works dealing with Greek mythology, torture, memory loss, cardiac arrest, flat batteries, sexual desire, vanity, broken promises, vampire lust and what to do with a dead whale…

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