"...a dazzling piece – the best new British opera we’ve seen for some time.” The Telegraph
Instrumentation
VIOLET (S)/FELIX (BBar)/LAURA (M)/CLOCKKEEPER (T)/DINERS, HOST, MORRIS, JUDY (non-singing roles) fl(=picc, chromatic pitch pipe + dog clicker).2 cl(I=ebcl, bcl + dog clicker, II=cbcl) - tpt(=kalimba).trbn - perc(1): glsp/vib/t.bells/mar/2 bongos/2 tom-toms, large or medium BD/tam-t/clave/wdbl/tpl.bl/guiro/2 mcas/2 non-identical mechanical metronomes - harp(=violin pitch pipe) - 2 vln(both=dog clicker).2 vla(both=dog clicker).vlc.db(4th string extension, =guitar pitch pipe)
Availability
Full score and parts in preparation
Reviews
“There is real assurance about every gesture and texture, it’s tremendously accomplished. Soaring soprano lines for Violet…over fragile, melting textures…are contrasted with often blunt declamation for her husband...the bells marking off time and the ticking of clocks are constant features of the wonderfully varied sounds he extracts from the ensemble, reinforced by electronics.”
The Guardian (Andrew Clements)
“Spare textures suddenly thicken into a web of instrumental strands, contrabass clarinet dark against glinting harp, a riot of ticking and clicking percussion pulsing beneath. Then a voice limited to single, bell-chime syllables – “Yes”, “No” – suddenly flowers into Monteverdi-like melismas; a vocal arpeggio soars up and up.”
The Telegraph (Alexandra Coghlan)
"Full of the sounds of bells and metronomes, plus a number of other unusual instruments and techniques, Coult’s score also includes electronic interludes. Most importantly, it avoids rhetoric or grandiosity, utilising a multitude of subtle effects and maintaining interest throughout its span – its momentum never flags...this strikingly brilliant work certainly represents the finest joint UK operatic debut since Martin Crimp and George Benjamin collaborated on Into the Little Hill in 2006. "
The Stage (George Hall)
"Coult’s score for 13 instrumentalists is unfailingly inventive in detail. It is unlikely that the audience will have been ticking off the unusual sounds, but suffice to say there are not many operas that call for tom-toms, friction mallet, honey spoons, dog-clickers with Blu Tack and three crocodile clips...the music becomes thinner, sparer, each note more precious, as if the oxygen is running out, a sound-world Coult describes as “desiccated, frayed, curdled”."
Financial Times (Richard Fairman)