''The Vanishing Bridegroom'' 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 composer

Judith Weir Judith Weir (born 11 May 1954) is a British composer serving as Master of the King's Music. Appointed in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II, Weir is the first woman to hold this office. Biography Weir was born in Cambridge, England, to Scottish parent ...

to a libretto by the composer from work edited by J. F. Campbell of Islay. Commissioned by the

Glasgow District Council Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the opera was premiered by the

Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish Op ...

as a part of the 1990 European Capital of Culture celebrations in Glasgow. The United States premiere of the opera was given by the

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by th ...

in 1992 (under the title ''Highland Wedding'') with soprano

Lauren Flanigan Lauren Flanigan (born May 18, 1958) is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1980s. She enjoyed a particularly fruitful partnership with the New York City Opera, appearing with the company almost every y ...

as the Bride/Wife/Mother. The compositional style is primarily

polytonal Polytonality (also polyharmony) is the musical use of more than one key simultaneously. Bitonality is the use of only two different keys at the same time. Polyvalence or polyvalency is the use of more than one harmonic function, from the same key, a ...

and

polyrhythmic Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rhyth ...

, with elements of

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

and

atonality Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

. Woodwinds are used throughout to introduce Gaelic folk melodies, with violin often being employed as a fiddle, either solo or in duet. The three acts vary stylistically, although some musical gestures are common to all three, such as long rising glissandos in the string section. The opera was broadcast by BBC TV in 1991 in a production directed for television by Mike Newman, with the Scottish Opera production, directed by

Ian Spink Ian Spink (born 8 October 1947) is an Australian-British choreographer. Born in Melbourne, he trained at the Australian Ballet School. After graduating in 1968, he danced and choreographed for The Australian Ballet, Australian Dance Theatre and t ...

and conducted by Justin Brown.

Synopsis

The opera is written in three acts, each a retelling of a Scottish folk story. The opera loosely weaves the stories together into a narrative thread.Judith Weir / The Vanishing Bridegroom (1990)
musicsalesclassical.com Act 1. The Inheritance: a man dies, but his legacy is missing: one of his three sons must have stolen it, but which one? The Doctor investigates by telling the sons a tale of a woman, forbidden to marry her lover, and married off to a richer man. Act 2. The Disappearance: on the birth of the Bride and Bridegroom's daughter, the husband leaves to fetch the Priest who will christen her, but on the way is lured into a brightly lit hillside - the "Land of the Young". His friend is accused of murder. Act 3. The Stranger: a handsome prosperous stranger arrives to woo the daughter, now a young woman. The girl is suspicious, and a passing preacher tells her he is obviously the Devil: she retires to a holy spot and the Devil is unable to harm her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanishing Bridegroom, The 1990 operas English-language operas Operas Operas by Judith Weir Operas set in Scotland