OPERA EAST WORLD PREMIÈRE: HEART OF DARKNESS
In a co-production with ROH2, Opera East will give the world première of Tarik O’Regan’s new chamber opera on Tuesday 1st November 2011 in the Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London. The opera is based on Joseph Conrad’s seminal novel of the same name. Set in Africa at the height of European colonialism, this powerful tale explores themes of obsession and brutality in the oppressive atmosphere of the equatorial rain forest as Marlow, a river boat captain, voyages upstream in search of Kurtz, a notorious ivory trader.
Oliver Gooch, Opera East’s founder Artistic Director and former Royal Opera House Young Artist, will conduct the world première and the three subsequent performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre. Young British composer, Tarik O’Regan, is widely regarded as one of the most original and lyrical voices of his generation. He has won many awards and has already established an enviable reputation across a number of music genres. The opera, to be sung in English, is in a single act and lasts for about 75 minutes. The libretto, by Tom Phillips, is based entirely on the text of the original book. It is scored for thirteen instruments and a cast of eight singers. Leading British tenor, Alan Oke, will create the role of Marlow, the opera’s main character.
Linbury Studio Theatre, Covent Garden:
World premiere: Tuesday 1st November 2011 at 745pm (pre-performance talk by Tarik O’Regan at 6.45pm)
Followed by three further performances:
Wednesday 2nd November 2011 at 7.45pm) pre-performance
Friday 4th November 2011 at 7.45pm ) talks at
Saturday 5th November 2011 at 7.45pm ) 6.45pm
Tickets: £25, £21, £20 £10 (standing), £13.50 (students)
Box Office: Telephone: 020 7304 4000 E mail: onlinebooking@roh.org.uk
Note for Editors
Since its creation only twelve years ago, Opera East has delighted audiences across East Anglia and beyond with its fresh and vibrant stagings of a wide variety of opera sung in English. Particularly memorable performances have included works by Britten, including The Turn of the Screw and Albert Herring, Janàček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Haydn’s Il mondo della luna.
“ … Oliver Gooch [and his players] mined the vein of melancholy that lies at the centre of Stravinsky’s music, and lent the evening …. a reflectiveness that you rarely hear.”
Robert Thicknesse, Opera Now