''The Juniper Passion'' is a 2011

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 New Zealand

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Michael F. Williams to a

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 ...

by John Davies. The opera is set in 1944 during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

, an Allied victory, but with a loss of life totalling approximately 105,000 deaths, including many New Zealand soldiers, over the series of battles. ''The Juniper Passion'' is written in three acts, six principal roles and chorus and is scored for

chamber orchestra Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

with digital effects. Performance is through dance with only minimal movement and interaction by the singing cast. In place of traditional sets, the opera has a 3-D computer graphic set design by Sean Castle that recreates the

Benedictine abbey , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

at Cassino. This is interspersed with images taken during the battle by Richard Ferguson Davies, father of librettist John Davies.

Premiere

The first performance of ''The Juniper Passion'' was in April 2012 in

Hamilton, New Zealand Hamilton ( mi, Kirikiriroa) is an inland city in the North Island of New Zealand. Located on the banks of the Waikato River, it is the seat and most populous city of the Waikato region. With a territorial population of , it is the country's fou ...

. Choreography for the event was by Moss Paterson who is the director of Atamira Dance and John Davies, the curriculum leader of live performance at the Unitec Institute of Technology Department of Performing and Screen Arts.

Recording

''The Juniper Passion'' was recorded and produced in 2011 by Wayne Laird of the New Zealand label,

Atoll Records Atoll Records is a New Zealand record label dedicated to classical, historical and contemporary music. About Atoll Records was established by composer and producer Wayne Laird in 1997. Based in Auckland, the label records primarily in Aucklan ...

. It made use of the Auckland Town Hall organs, digital effects created by the composer and a full cast of singers including New Zealand

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 ...

David Griffiths and leading musicians including the

New Zealand Chamber Soloists The New Zealand Chamber Soloists (NZCS) (established 2006), are a New Zealand based chamber music ensemble. The NZCS consists of prominent concerto soloists with national and international careers and extensive chamber music experience. The c ...

. Recording took place in both Auckland and Hamilton.

Characters

* Narrator * Carlo, a Benedictine monk * Joe, a New Zealand soldier * Bruno, a German army officer * Maria, Carlo's sister * Helen, Joe and Jessie's daughter * Jessie, Joe's wife * Chorus

Scoring

The work is scored for string quartet, bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, percussion, organ, sound effects.

References

External links

Music Live New Zealand

University of Waikato Music Department

SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juniper passion, The Music of New Zealand Operas Chamber operas 2011 operas English-language operas World War II fiction Operas set in the 20th century Operas set in Italy