• Judith Weir
  • King Harald's Saga (1979)

  • Novello & Co Ltd (World)

Commissioned by Jane Manning with funds from the Arts Council

  • Soprano, singing 8 roles
  • 10 min
  • the composer
  • English

Programme Note

BRIEF PROGRAMME NOTE

The story of the Norwegian invasion of England in 1066 led by King Harald ‘Hardradi’, which ended in defeat at the battle of Stamford Bridge, nineteen days before the successful Norman invasion at the Battle of Hastings.

COMPOSER'S NOTE

King Harald's Saga is a 3-act opera based, as is a good deal of 19th century opera, on an actual historical event; in this case, the Norwegian invasion of England in 1066 led by King Harald 'Hardradi', which ended in defeat at the battle of Stamford Bridge, 19 days before the successful Norman invasion at the Battle of Hastings.

As King Harald's Saga is scored for solo soprano and lasts just under ten minutes, a certain amount of compression has been necessary. The soprano sings 8 solo roles, as well as the part of the Norwegian army; and none of the work's musical items lasts over a minute. Furthermore, since it would be difficult to stage a work which progresses so quickly, the soprano gives a short spoken introduction to each act to establish the staging, as might happen in a radio broadcast of a staged opera.

The musical items are as follows: Act 1 - Harald (aria), Fanfare, Tostig (aria); Act 2 - St Olaf (aria), Harald (aria), Harald's wives (duet); Act 3 - the Norwegian Army (chorus), Messenger (recit), Soldier (aria); Epilogue - the Icelandic sage (recit).

Much of the detail in the libretto has been taken from the account of the invasion in the 13th century Icelandic saga Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241).

King Harold's Saga was written in 1979 and commissioned by Jane Manning with funds provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain.

© Judith Weir

Media

King Harald's Saga - Act I (Judith Weir)
King Harald's Saga - Act II (Judith Weir)
King Harald's Saga - Act III (Judith Weir)
King Harald's Saga - Epilogue (Judith Weir)

Scores

Score sample

Reviews

King Harald's Saga... embodies the qualities that still define Weir's musical thinking: her concern to tell stories, her ability to distil musical and dramatic ideas to their essences, and her creation of an idiom that's full of expressive subtlety but is never anything less than richly communicative.

Tom Service, The Guardian
28th May 2012

Of the myriad challenges a soprano can set before herself in a recital, none offer precisely the same sort of demands as Judith Weir’s King Harald’s Saga, from 1979. The work’s wide vocal range and elaborately curling melodies require a singer with exceptional flexibility and flawless intonation. Then there are the dramaturgical concerns: Ms. Weir’s quirky piece is a three-act opera that includes nine roles, all sung by unaccompanied soprano in the space of 12 minutes.

Steve Smith, New York Times
1st August 2007

Discography

On Buying a Horse

On Buying a Horse
  • Label
    Signum Classics
  • Catalogue Number
    SIGCD087
  • Soloist
    Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor), Ailish Tynan (soprano), Iain Burnside (piano)
  • Released
    1st November 2006

The Consolations of Scholarship

The Consolations of Scholarship
  • Label
    Albany Records
  • Catalogue Number
    TROY803
  • Conductor
    Steven Stucky / Mark Davis Scatterday
  • Ensemble
    Ensemble X
  • Soloist
    Janice Felty, mezzo-soprano; Xak Bjerken, piano; Judith Kellock, soprano
  • Released
    2006

Three Operas

Three Operas
  • Label
    Novello Records
  • Catalogue Number
    NVLCD109
  • Conductor
    Odaline de la Martinez / David Mason
  • Ensemble
    Lontano; Combattimento
  • Soloist
    Linda Hirst, soprano; Jane Manning, soprano
  • Released
    1989

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