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The Cumnor Affair or An Elizabethan Murder-Mystery [1] [2] is a one-act opera by the English composer Philip Cashian with an English-language libretto by Iain Pears, [3] lasting 75 minutes in performance. The opera is based on the love affair between Robert Dudley, Amy Robsart, and Elizabeth I of England. The sudden death of Robsart led to speculation that she was murdered. [4]
The work was composed in 2008 [5] and premiered the same year on November 10 by the Tête à Tête opera company at the Riverside Studios in London, England, conducted by Tim Murray. [4] [6] [7] The premiere was directed by Bill Bankes-Jones with set design by Tim Meacock and light design by Mark Doubleday. [8] [9]
According to Ash Smyth of the Oxford Mail, the singing was lackluster and the absence of melody was a jarring error. As Smyth notes, "It is basically without melody, which was bad enough when competing with the singers, and worse when not." [11] Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph supported the company but noted the failure of the production, "this isn't one of their more successful ventures" [8]
The opera is scored for seven voices and ten instrumentalists: [13]
The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's
general notability guideline. (April 2023) |
The Cumnor Affair or An Elizabethan Murder-Mystery [1] [2] is a one-act opera by the English composer Philip Cashian with an English-language libretto by Iain Pears, [3] lasting 75 minutes in performance. The opera is based on the love affair between Robert Dudley, Amy Robsart, and Elizabeth I of England. The sudden death of Robsart led to speculation that she was murdered. [4]
The work was composed in 2008 [5] and premiered the same year on November 10 by the Tête à Tête opera company at the Riverside Studios in London, England, conducted by Tim Murray. [4] [6] [7] The premiere was directed by Bill Bankes-Jones with set design by Tim Meacock and light design by Mark Doubleday. [8] [9]
According to Ash Smyth of the Oxford Mail, the singing was lackluster and the absence of melody was a jarring error. As Smyth notes, "It is basically without melody, which was bad enough when competing with the singers, and worse when not." [11] Rupert Christiansen of The Telegraph supported the company but noted the failure of the production, "this isn't one of their more successful ventures" [8]
The opera is scored for seven voices and ten instrumentalists: [13]