''Resurrection'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

by the English composer

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

. Davies conceived it in 1963 whilst at Princeton University. However, the composer did not complete the opera until over 20 years later. The work received its premiere on 18 September 1987 at the

Staatstheater Darmstadt The Staatstheater Darmstadt (Darmstadt State Theatre) is a theatre company and building in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany, presenting opera, ballet, plays and concerts. It is funded by the state of Hesse and the city of Darmstadt. Its history began in ...

, Germany. Besides the protagonist, represented by a dummy, there are 23 roles requiring seven singers (

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, two

tenors A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...

, two

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

s) and four dancers. The orchestra contains single winds including trumpet and horn, and strings, as well as a backstage brass band. Davies also incorporates a rock band in the instrumentation, in his use of various musical styles. John Warnaby has discussed the relation of the opera to the writings of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

and

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...

Synopsis

The opera is in a prologue and one act. The story concerns a mute child who never speaks or sings during the work and how his family deals with him and tries to mould him. In the Prologue, his parents and other authority figures hector him, as well as numerous television advertisements. By the end of the Prologue, the mute child's head has exploded. In the main act, several surgeons endeavour to reconstruct the child. In so doing, the child is urged to adopt conformist social and religious attitudes. One surgeon dissects the child's brain, and hopes to fix his moral and intellectual faults. Another surgeon works on the dummy's heart, and thus affects the emotional and religious centres. Another surgeon deals with the child's "sexual proclivities" via surgery on the genitals. Eventually, the Antichrist appears, with the dummy child "resurrected", who then turns on the surgeons as the phallus metamorphoses into a machine gun, which is directed at the audience as well as the surgeons.

Recording

*Peter Maxwell Davies: ''Resurrection'' (

Della Jones Della Jones is a Welsh mezzo-soprano, particularly well known for her interpretations of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, and Britten. Early life Jones was born in Tonna, near Neath, Wales. She attended Neath Grammar School for Girls ...

, Christopher Robson,

Martyn Hill Martyn Hill (b. 14 Sept 1944) is a British tenor. Life and career Hill was born in Rochester, Kent on September 14, 1944. He studied at King's College, Cambridge, followed by the Royal College of Music. He pursued further vocal training with Audr ...

, Neil Jenkins, Henry Herford, Gerald Finley, Jonathon Best, Mary Carewe (solo singers); Blaze (rock band);

BBC Philharmonic The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at MediaC ...

Orchestra; Peter Maxwell Davies, conductor). CD 1995. Label: Collins Classics 70342 Seabrook, Mike, "Record Review - Maxwell Davies: ''Resurrection''" (October 1995). ''Tempo'' (New Ser.), 194: pp. 55-56.

References

;Notes

External links

Synopsis, scoring, and composer's essay
- Chester Novello publishers. {{Authority control Operas by Peter Maxwell Davies Operas One-act operas 1987 operas