- 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
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
Scores
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.
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.
Discography
On Buying a Horse
- LabelSignum Classics
- Catalogue NumberSIGCD087
- SoloistSusan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Andrew Kennedy (tenor), Ailish Tynan (soprano), Iain Burnside (piano)
- Released1st November 2006
The Consolations of Scholarship
- LabelAlbany Records
- Catalogue NumberTROY803
- ConductorSteven Stucky / Mark Davis Scatterday
- EnsembleEnsemble X
- SoloistJanice Felty, mezzo-soprano; Xak Bjerken, piano; Judith Kellock, soprano
- Released2006
Three Operas
- LabelNovello Records
- Catalogue NumberNVLCD109
- ConductorOdaline de la Martinez / David Mason
- EnsembleLontano; Combattimento
- SoloistLinda Hirst, soprano; Jane Manning, soprano
- Released1989
More Info
- Judith Weir at Aldeburgh Festival
- 6th June 2024
- Aldeburgh Festival 2024 opens with a new production of Judith Weir’s Blond Eckbert.
- Judith Weir to be Featured Musician at Aldeburgh Festival 2024
- 19th December 2023
- Judith Weir will be a Featured Artist at the 2024 Aldeburgh Festival with the performance of over a dozen of her works, including the world premieres of String Quartet No. 2 'The Spaniard' and Planet.