The Rising of the Moon (opera)
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| The Rising of the Moon | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Nicholas Maw | |
 Glyndebourne House, where The Rising of the Moon premiered | |
| Librettist | Beverley Cross |
| Premiere | |
The Rising of the Moon is an operatic comedy in three acts composed by Nicholas Maw to a libretto by Beverley Cross. It premiered on 19 July 1970 at the Glyndebourne Festival conducted by Raymond Leppard and directed by Colin Graham. The title comes from the Irish patriotic song of the same name.
The opera was composed over a period from 1967 to 1970 while Maw was the artist-in-residence at Trinity College, Cambridge. It was Maw's second opera, and like his first, One Man Show, is a comedy. However, while One Man Show was a farce, The Rising of the Moon is in the genre of romantic comedy with a plot about British soldiers stationed in 19th-century Ireland at the time of the Irish famines. Its premiere at Glyndebourne in 1970 during The Troubles, a period of intense ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland, was "felt to be tactless" by some critics, according to Maw's obituary in The Daily Telegraph.[1] Nevertheless, the opera ran at 90% capacity at Glyndebourne and was revived the following year after Maw had made adjustments to the score.[2][3] The opera was subsequently performed in Bremen and Graz in 1978 and at the Guildhall School of Music in 1986. It was also revived at the Wexford Opera Festival in 1990.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 19 July 1970 (Conductor: Raymond Leppard)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Brother Timothy | tenor | Alexander Oliver |
| Cornet John Stephen Beaumont | tenor | John Wakefield |
| Cathleen Sweeney | mezzo-soprano | Anne Howells |
| Colonel Lord Jowler | bass | Richard Van Allan |
| Lady Eugenie Jowler, his wife | soprano | Rae Woodland |
| Major Max von Zastrow | baritone | Peter Gottlieb |
| Frau Elizabeth von Zastrow, his wife | mezzo-soprano | Kerstin Meyer |
| Captain Lillywhite, the Adjutant | tenor | John Fryatt |
| Miss Atalanta Lillywhite, his daughter | soprano | Annon Lee Silver |
| Corporal of Horse Hayward | bass-baritone | Brian Donlan |
| Donal O'Dowd | baritone | John Gibbs |
| The Widow Sweeney | mezzo-soprano | Johanna Peters |
| Mr Lynch | bass | Dennis Wicks |
| Gaveston | tenor | |
| Willoughby | tenor | |
| Officers and Men of the 31st Royal Lancers | ||