OPERA
PROGRAMME
GEORGE BENJAMIN: Written on Skin
- Conductor Alan Gilbert
- Countertenor Tim Mead
- Soprano Barbara Hannigan
- Mezzosoprano Victoria Simmonds
- Tenor Robert Murray
- Bass Christopher Purves
ABOUT THIS CONCERT
Written on Skin is based on an old Occitane legend – a story of love and death, of power and bravery. The drama takes place in the 13th century, but is told from a modern perspective. A small choir of three angels leads the audience back to the past and narrates the drama, which recounts a love triangle between a protector, his wife, and an illustrator of manuscripts.
George Benjamin's score demands extra orchestral forces, such as a glass harmonica, mandolins, tuned cowbells, a typewriter and bongo drums. It creates a highly expressive soundscape with a wide range of colours, in which instrumental and vocal timbres are closely connected. "For me, the vocal sound is part of the orchestra, and the orchestra is part of the vocal sound," explains Benjamin. “The piece is superb,” stated the Financial Times after the World Premiere. The New Yorker\’s Alex Ross said, “Written on Skin feels like the work of a genius unleashed.”