The Consolations of Scholarship
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| The Consolations of Scholarship | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Judith Weir | |
| Librettist | Weir |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Chi Chun-hsiang's The Orphan of Chao |
| Premiere | |
The Consolations of Scholarship is an opera by Judith Weir with a libretto by the composer.[1] The Consolations of Scholarship is based closely on the Yuan dramas The Orphan of Chao (by Chi Chun-hsiang) and the anonymous A Stratagem of Interlocking Rings.
Described as a 'music drama' for soprano and nine instruments, "a Yuan dynasty tale unfolds (this piece is the embryo for A Night at the Chinese Opera with which it shares both narrative and musical material) through plain narration and philosophical discourse".[2]
The work was composed for the Lontano Ensemble; the premiere took place at University of Durham in 1985 with Linda Hirst, mezzo-soprano, and Lontano directed by Odaline de la Martinez.
