Rough for Opera

Presented by Second Movement, rough for opera is an opportunity for young and emerging opera creators to road test and showcase original work in development. First, director Max Hoehn and composer Charlotte Bray, with soprano Rhona McKail and pianist Yshani Perinpanayagan, present 'Midnight Closes', a dramatic setting and staging of a series of Thomas Hardy poems. Then, Kate Whitley's 'Unknown Position', a 20-minute chamber opera with libretto by Emma Hogan, explores the little-known phenomena of object-sexuality. The final work is Opera Viscera's retelling of Ovid's 'Narcissus and Echo', a work which brings together four composers and a revolving cast of seven and was created in collaboration with a community arts project. (Note: Both the audience and an invited informal panel of more experienced opera makers are encouraged to respond to the performances and provide feedback. After the show, young composer Isambard Khroustaliov DJs in the Cockpit Bar.)