Judith Weir: A Night At The Chinese Opera (Vocal Score)

Judith Weir’s work is often inspired by narrative folklore and theatre. This creepy-crawly work was inspired by the novel Die Schwarze Spinne by Jeremias Gotthelf a tale about an evil venomous spider including heartless Count heroic village maiden and a truly otherworldly Green Huntsman and a 1983 news story about the mysterious deaths of the archaeologists who opened the tomb of Casimir IV in Krakow in the 1970’s. There are spoken parts bridging the two stories.Weir employs many musical languages in this alternately boisterous and sinister work: patter songs church hymns recitativo among them. Weir is not at all precious about voicing recommending that allthe roles be sung at any convenient octave Altos substituting for basses at the octave if a children’s Chorus is performing the work. The one-act structure works well for young performers.Judith Weir is one of Britain’s most prolific and successful composers widely known for her operas like The Vanishing Bridegroom and A Night At The Chinese Opera and her many Choral works as well as her pieces for Strings and Piano. She was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival and is a professor at Cardiff University.

Judith Weir's a blue true dream of sky engages the singers in three separate parts ? solo Soprano unaccompanied Chorus and the pivotal pair of Alto soloists who act as a hinge to the others? to create an intricate yet clear setting for this ecstatic poem by e. e. cummings. Judith Weir is one of Britain?s most prolific and successful composers widely known for her operas like TheVanishing Bridgegroom and A Night At The Chinese Opera and her many Choral works as well as her pieces for Strings and Piano. She was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival and is a professor at Cardiff University.

A3 Size Score of the Opera in 3 Acts with libretto by the composer based on the 13th Century Chinese drama The Chao Family Orphan.