Last Days (opera)
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| Last Days | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Oliver Leith | |
| Librettist | Matt Copson |
| Based on | Last Days and Kurt Cobain |
| Premiere | 2022 Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House |
Last Days is a 2022 English-language opera in one act, with music by Oliver Leith and libretto by Matt Copson. It was directed by Copson and Anna Morrisey. The title and concept for the opera were taken from the 2005 film of the same name by Gus van Sant, which was a fictionalised account of the last days of Kurt Cobain.
Last Days is Leith's first opera, and librettist Copson had also never worked on an opera previously. The opera's libretto and plot are largely based on the 2005 film Last Days. Leith stated he was drawn to the film because of its sound design, in which mundane sounds are raised to the same volume as characters' dialogue. An example of this is the sound of cereal being poured into a bowl, which also featured in the opera.[1] In the opera, the only explicit reference to Kurt Cobain is a guitar riff reminiscent of Nirvana.[2]
The opera was "extravagantly costumed" by Balenciaga.[3] Librettist Copson, who is more commonly a visual artist, had worked with the fashion house on a previous project. This was the first collaboration of the Royal Opera House with a fashion company [4] since Jonathan Miller's Così Fan Tutte in collaboration with Giorgio Armani [5] or the loan of jewels by van Cleef & Arpels for Angela Giorghiu's Tosca. [6]
The opera tells the story of Blake, a musician who has just left rehab and is under pressure to return to touring. Blake's suicide is described as being the subject matter of the opera, despite occurring at the end. A shotgun is introduced on to the stage early in the opera, and remains until it is used by Blake to end his own life. The Guardian describes the rest of the cast as "hangers-on" causing "chaos" around Blake.[2]
Roles
Agathe Rousselle, who portrayed the lead character in the premiere, had never attended an opera before being cast as Blake. Leith and Copson took her to a performance of Salome which she "hated", saying "it's not my thing".[7]
