Score
Fly away Peter : chamber opera in one act / music by Elliott Gyger ; libretto by Pierce Wilcox, after the novel by David Malouf.
Library shelf no. 782.1/GYG 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Fly Away Peter is based on David Malouf's much-loved 1982 novel, adapted into a libretto by Pierce Wilcox. The three singers initially represent the novel's three protagonists - Jim (baritone), Ashley (tenor), and Imogen (mezzo) - who are brought together by a shared fascination with birds, before being torn apart in the cataclysm of the First World War. In the later scenes, the opera on focuses Jim's nightmare journey through the horrors of the trenches (with numerous other soldiers played briefly by the tenor) and beyond, to a transcendent peace. And the end it is left to Imogen, back home in Queensland, to mourn for Jim and the countless others, while trying to rediscover meaning and the continuity of life. The instrumental ensemble is the same unusual septet featured in Stravinsky's World War 1 work The Soldier's Tale.
Work Details
Year: 2015
Instrumentation: Mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, clarinet/bass clarinet, bassoon, trumpet/cornet, trombone, percussion, violin, double bass.
Duration: 65 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
First performance: by Sydney Chamber Opera at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks) on 2 May 2015
Awards & Prizes
Year | Award | Placing | Awarded for/to |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Art Music Awards: Work of the Year: Vocal/Choral | Finalist | Elliott Gyger |
2016 | Art Music Awards: Performance of the Year | Finalist | Sydney Chamber Opera |
Analysis
Resonate article: Insight: Fly Away Peter by Elliott Gyger
Resonate article: 2016 Art Music Awards finalists - comments by judging panels by Australian Music Centre
Performances of this work
23 Oct 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Fairfax Studio). Featuring Jack Symonds, Sydney Chamber Opera.
21 Oct 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Fairfax Studio). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera, Jack Symonds.
9 May 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera.
8 May 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera.
6 May 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera.
4 May 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera.
2 May 2015: at Fly Away Peter (Carriageworks). Featuring Sydney Chamber Opera.
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