OUT OF SEASON

(1991) 

Chamber opera in 1 act - 42'

Libretto by James Mavor

Commissioned by the Garden Venture, Royal Opera House

In the Britain of the 1950's, rationing is a recent memory and there is a feeling of post-war optimism: the havens of hedonism are the seaside resorts, where respectability can be shed and louche license enjoyed. Out of season at the Marine Arms, a mother and son are on holiday: Shirley, who has long paid a price for the tame iconoclasm of her youth, and Will, suffocated by her skirts but very much his mother's son. Invading their susceptible lives and driving an improbable automobile, are a couple on the make. The ensuing emotional tangle is painful and tragic. 

Premiere: 1 June 1991: Riverside Studios, London W6

Director: Peter Wilberforce

Designer: Francis O'Connor

Lighting: Ace McCarron

Conductor: Alasdair Dawes

CAST

Jane Manning, Fiona Rose, Martyn Harrison, Richard Morris, Endymion Ensemble

Shirley - soprano

Candy - soprano

Kirby - tenor

Will - baritone

Flute (+ piccolo), clarinet in Bb (+ bass cl, asax, bar sax), percussion (1 player), harp, violin, 'cello