Jul 05 2022
By Maria Reva Opera

Plaything Opera

(In progress. Read the libretto here.)

This opera with libretto by Maria Reva and music by Anna Pidgorna is being developed with Musique 3 Femmes and other partners through the Mécénat Musica Prix 3 Femmes 2020 prize designed to support opera creation by female identifying composer-librettist teams. The opera will receive its world premiere in September 2022 at UfaFabrik in Berlin, Germany.

Hacker Isla Frank leaked damning information on her government and has found refuge in a foreign embassy. She fears the public has forgotten her fateful sacrifice. One day, Madame Suzuki, a talking parrot and social media sensation, comes to the window. Isla captures Madame Suzuki and uses her as a PR tool to regain the attention of journalists and fans worldwide. Tensions soon arise between human and bird over their new empire. What is true freedom and what does it cost?

Cast:
Isla Frank: mezzo-soprano
Madam Suzuki: soprano

Instrumentation:
flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello

Duration: 55-60 minutes

Language: English

Development process:
Excerpts of Plaything have been workshopped with Musique 3 Femmes and students from McGill University (March 2021) and University of Ottawa (September 2021). Full versions of the opera will be workshopped in partnership with Vancouver Opera’s Younger Artists Program (February 2022), and University of Guelph (July 2022). Excerpts of the opera were presented by Musique 3 Femmes, SMCQ and Ensemble Paramirabo in Montreal, QC in October 2021. A free livestream video is available here until April 2022.