Chamber opera in one short act
Instrumentation soprano solo, baritone solo; cl(bcl)/hp/perc/vn/va/vc/cb
Percussion requirements snare dr, bass dr, 2 bongos, susp. cymbal, lg. tamtam, chimes, vib
Vocal Ranges soprano B3 to Db6 (with a guttural G#3); baritone G#2 to A4 (with optional falsetto passage to C5)
Timing ca. 12′
Composed 2001
Libretto by Michael Lewis MacLennan
Commissioned by Tapestry New Opera Works with funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and New Op Angel: Ernest Balmer
World Premiere April 22/23, 2002, Isabel Bader Theatre, Toronto, Ontario. Laura Whalen, soprano; Steven Pitkanen, baritone; Banuta Rubess, stage director; Wayne Strongman, music director
Related Works
And So I Killed A Man (aria for soprano and piano)
Think Why I Chase You (aria for baritone and piano)
Programme Notes
The Laurels is a short one-act opera — a contemporary retelling of the Daphne and Apollo myth, conceived as a thriller charting one woman’s psychological unravelling in the aftermath of a harrowing crisis.
Laurel runs through the forest of a city park at night, chased by a male Stranger. He’s evidently a dangerous stalker while she’s a helpless victim. Or is something more happening? Is the Stranger real, or a haunting manifestation of Laurel’s own psyche? In his dogged pursuit, does he seek to harm, or is she in fact the villain here? As the opera runs along this knife’s edge, The Laurels questions the scope of morality and how the past haunts us. You can run, but…
The Laurels is dedicated to Wayne Strongman and Claire Hopkinson of Tapestry New Opera Works.
(Programme notes by Michael Lewis MacLennan)
Reviews
Librettist Michael Lewis MacLennan and composer Jeffrey Ryan distill the emotional and vocal essence of opera into an extended dramatic dialogue that takes full advantage of the beauty and pathos of the human voice. Ryan’s often lush, evocative score was gorgeously rendered… (John Terauds/Toronto Star)
The softness of the soprano is contrasted with the fierceness of the baritone. The score at first is rushing and restless with interesting musical accents, but there are also moments of rapture and ecstasy as Laurel seeks an end to her despair. (Paula Citron/Opera Canada)
Highlights of the evening [included] Jeffrey Ryan’s and librettist Michael Lewis MacLennan’s jazz-influenced The Laurels, a modern, sexually charged revision of the Daphne and Apollo myth, in which the usually chaste maiden is far from innocent. (Jon Kaplan/NOW Magazine)
PDF perusal score
Video
Aria And So I Killed A Man performed by soprano Teiya Kasahara and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa
Get music
Score $75 print, $45 PDF
Piano/vocal part $40 print, $24 PDF
The piano/vocal part is also available at the Canadian Opera Resource
Performance score + parts available on rental
To purchase or rent, please contact me.