And So I Killed A Man (from “The Laurels”)

Instrumentation Soprano and piano

Vocal Range B3 to Db6 (plus a guttural G#3)

Timing ca. 4′

Composed 2001

Libretto by Michael Lewis MacLennan

Programme Notes

And So I Killed A Man is the climactic aria from the opera The Laurels. In this psychological thriller, Laurel, running through a large city park at night, is chased by a male Stranger. We are initially invited to see the Stranger as a dangerous stalker and to “read” the woman as a helpless victim. In the course of the story, however, clues are slipped which suggest that the victim isn’t so innocent. As the aria begins, Laurel stabs The Stranger, killing him. As his body slides to the ground to rest at her feet, she begins to feel a new sense of freedom, not realising that it is at the cost of her conscience and her humanity.

The original opera The Laurels was commissioned by Tapestry New Opera Works with the generous assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and New Op Angel: Ernest Balmer.

PDF perusal score

Video

And So I Killed A Man performed by soprano Teiya Kasahara and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa

And performed by soprano Heather Molloy and pianist Indra Egan, courtesy of Redshift Music

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