''The Francis Bacon Opera'' is a comic

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...

in one act composed by Stephen Crowe. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

is based on Crowe's transcript of

Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documenta ...

's interview with the British artist

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...

, filmed for '' The South Bank Show'' in 1985. The opera was first performed in its final version on 8 August 2012 in London, and went on to win the Hilton Edwards Award in May 2013.

Background and performance history

The opera is scored for two solo singers (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, 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 lo ...

s) and a piano, and has a running time of 55 minutes. The libretto is derived from three portions of a documentary devoted to Francis Bacon which was filmed in 1985 for '' The South Bank Show''. In the episode, Melvin Bragg interviewed Bacon over a lengthy wine-fuelled lunch in a London restaurant. Bragg later recalled:

When Francis Bacon and myself appeared on the ''Southbank Show'' and for a few minutes were caught in a state of naked inebriation, it provided I think, an insight into Francis as a man and as a painter. So I left it in the film.

''The Francis Bacon Opera'' was performed as "a work in progress" at the Grimeborn Opera Festival in 2011. The final version of the opera, directed by the composer, was first performed on 8 August 2012 at the Camden Arts Centre, London, with subsequent performances at the

Courtauld Gallery The Courtauld Gallery () is an art museum in Somerset House, on the Strand in central London. It houses the collection of the Courtauld Institute of Art, a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the hist ...

, Tête à Tête Opera Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, The James Joyce Centre, The National Portrait Gallery and The

Hugh Lane Gallery The Hugh Lane Gallery, officially Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and originally the Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, is an art museum operated by Dublin City Council and its subsidiary, the Hugh Lane Gallery Trust. It is in Charlemont House ( ...

, which houses Bacon's studio, having been relocated from London to Dublin in 2001.Tanner, Michael (25 August 2012)
"Opera Four play"
''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

Roles and premiere cast

(

) – created by Christopher Killerby *Melvyn Bragg (tenor) – created by Oliver Brignall The pianist for the premiere performance was Genevieve Ellis.

Critical reception

Performances have polarised critics. Anna Picard in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' praised the work as having "the rare quality of making people laugh with the music as much as the words",Picard, Anna (12 August 2012)
"The Francis Bacon Opera, Camden Arts Centre, London"
''

''. Retrieved 1 March 2013. while Malcolm Jack in ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

'' derided it as "silly, pretentious nonsense masquerading as experimental theatre."Jack, Malcolm (23 August 2012)
"Review: The Francis Bacon Opera, C too (Venue 4)"
''

''. Retrieved 1 March 2013.

References

External links

*Stevenson, Martin (17 August 2012)
"Review: ''The Francis Bacon Opera''

whatsonstage.com WhatsOnStage.com is a London-based website that provides information about, and offers tickets for, theatrical performances in the United Kingdom. It also organises the annual WhatsOnStage Awards. Founded in 1996, it has been owned by the Americ ...

''The Francis Bacon Opera''
at the Tête à Tête Opera Festival {{DEFAULTSORT:Francis Bacon Opera, The Chamber operas English-language operas One-act operas 2012 operas Operas Operas based on real people Operas set in the 20th century Cultural depictions of 20th-century painters Cultural depictions of British people