Disturbing, powerful and original
— Anne Midgette, Washington Post
The opera Angel's Bone, composed by Du Yun with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, received its European premiere at the Staatstheater Augsburg on February 4. Ivan Demidov conducts the Philharmonic Orchestra Augsburg and the choir of Staatstheater Augsburg. This new production directed by Antje Schupp offers the world premiere performances of an expanded, more traditional orchestration created by Du Yun and commissioned by Staatstheater Augsburg. The premiere is followed by five performances taking place on February 27, March 2, April 23, April 26 and May 14. For more information, see the Staatstheater Augsburg website.
Du Yun won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2017 for Angel's Bone, which combines elements of diverse musical styles including musical theatre, cabaret, punk rock and electronica. The opera explores the dark implications and motivations of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Two fallen angels, whose nostalgia for earthly delights brings them back to earth, are found by a husband and wife. After nursing the angels back to health, the couple imprisons and exploit them in order to gain wealth and fame.
Listen to the original recording:
Du Yun’s most recent opera, the monodrama In Our Daughter's Eyes (with librettist Michael Joseph McQuilken) and starring Nathan Gunn, was a featured work in New York City’s Prototype Festival in January. This monodrama for baritone and large ensemble, about a man coming to terms with impending fatherhood and pregnancy loss, was praised as "verismo opera for today" and for its "intriguing and varied score."
For more information, please contact your local Wise Music Promotion Team.
