The Children's Bach (opera)
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The Children's Bach, Op. 74, is a chamber opera by the Australian composer Andrew Schultz to a libretto by Glenn Perry, based on the 1984 novella of the same name by Helen Garner. The work was commissioned by the Melbourne-based group Chamber Made and their artistic director Douglas Horton with the aid of an Australia Council Project Fellowship; it premiered for a run of 15 performances at the Malthouse Theatre's Merlyn Theatre on 20 June 2008.[1]
The opera was performed and recorded at the 2019 Canberra International Music Festival, conducted by Roland Peelman.[2] The Lyric Opera of Melbourne and Theatre Works gave the work its second full staging in August/September 2024.[3][4]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 20 June 2008 Conductor: Brett Kelly |
|---|---|---|
| Dexter | baritone | Andrea Carcassi |
| Athena | mezzo-soprano | Kathryn Grey |
| Billy, their son | Jackson Cairnduff/ James Christensen | |
| Phillip | tenor | James Egglestone |
| Elizabeth | mezzo-soprano | Dimity Shepherd |
| Vicki, Elisabeth's sister | soprano | Teresa 'Tess' Duddy |
| Poppy, Phillip's daughter | Hannah Kostros/ Alexa Madden | |
| Director | Chris Kohn | |
| Lighting design | Richard Vabre | |
| Design | Dale Ferguson | |
| Sound design | Russell Goldsmith | |
The work is of 80 minutes duration and is scored for a cast of six, and six instrumentalists (violin, cello, double bass, clarinet, percussion, piano).
