February/March 2024
The Duchess of Padua
Oscar Wilde's epic tragedy of revenge, passion and murder turned into a compact opera. At times melodramatic, at times sentimental, with everything in between, this adaptation of Wilde's beautiful verse faithfully follows the twists and turns of the drama's extraordinary plot - and reveals it to be more modern than it seems. |
The Space, London E14 3RS
Tue 20 - Sun 25 February 2024 The Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond (Yorks.) DL10 4DW Sat 2 March The Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester M1 5BY Sun 3 March The Croft Hall, Hungerford RG17 0HY Sun 10 March |
Recently...
The Masque of Vengeance at The Cockpit, London and The Stoller Hall, Manchester "... a taut and driven eighty minutes in which there is very little dead time. Powered along by a dynamic, pulsating score for piano duet, with soaring bel canto vocals and dramatic recitatives, there was never a dull moment to be experienced..." (Planet Hugill, November 2023)
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The Last Siren was performed in August 2023 in a dementia-friendly presentation under the auspices of the Geller Institute for Ageing and Memory at the University of WEST LONDON
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Formed in 2014 by composer Edward Lambert, The Music Troupe has been flying the flag for new chamber operas which aim to be as entertaining as they are economical. We believe producing small-scale works is the future of opera, an art form which sprung into life over 400 years ago as intimate musical drama. We've created, amongst other things, ten such productions and carried them home on public transport or in the boot of a car. In 2020, between lockdowns, we made that rare thing: an opera film shot on a set. We've given valuable opportunities to a wide range of over 90 performers and creatives and look forward to creating more pieces in the months to come. Thank you to all the artists, venues, audiences and funders who have supported us.
And for the future...
In 5 Years' Time
Adapted from a play by Lorca which explores themes of frustrated love, personal identity, decay and death; yet it does so in the manner of a fairy tale, clothed in fun and topsy-turviness. Cast of 8; accompanied by an ensemble of 8 instruments 75 mins more info → |
The Butterfly's Spell
In the world of insects, a Poet Beetle rejects the love of the devoted Sylvia in favour of an impossible infatuation with a fragile Butterfly whose destiny it is to fly away. A sad tale, but a comic opera which also features a drunken Scorpion, an overbearing Mother and Two Fireflies which glow in the dark. Suitable for all ages. From an early play by Lorca. Cast of 7; accompanied by an ensemble of 7 instruments 70 mins more info → |
Swellfellow the Tyrant
King Swellfellow is a tyrannical dictator who gorges himself while his subjects starve. Can he and his sleazy ministers cling to power when the Countess returns from exile? And whose side will the Press be on? Still pertinent today 200 years after it was written, Shelley's satire is here made into an opera which is as comic as it is bizarre Written for community performance with some roles for amateur singers Cast of 10 and chorus; accompanied by an ensemble of 7 instruments 80 mins more info → |