This bold and ambitious chamber opera explores the landscape of the human heart, charting the shifting alliances of six lovers across three generations.
Alex is only 17 when love changes everything. His brief affair with the ambitious actress, Rose, sets the course for succession of romantic liaisons that last well into manhood. Alex loses Rose to his shrewd, worldly uncle George and they marry. In time, George's mistress, the lovely Giulietta, has a fling with Rose, who keeps her own lover, Hugo. Echoes of Rose's initial caprice with the virginal Alex haunt the proceedings when he, in turn, beds the teenage daughter Rose has borne his aging uncle.
This elaborate la ronde en famille is driven by an engrossing and muscular score of pure emotional directness.
Cast Requirements: PRINCIPALS
2 Women
1 Teenage Girl
2 Men
FEATURED
3 Women
2 Men
ENSEMBLE
Singing-Dancing Ensemble with numerous small roles
CHARACTERS
Alex Dillingham - a young Englishman
Rose Vibert - a struggling actress
Marcel Richard - an actor-manager
Crooner (off-stage)
George Dillingham - Alex's uncle
Giulietta Trapani - an Italian sculptress
Jerome - George's gardener
First Fairground Barker
Second Fairground Barker
Elizabeth - George's housekeeper
A Hotelier
A Hotel Cashier
A Doctor
A Pharmacist
A Gondolier
A Registrar
An Assistant Registrar
Hugo - Rose's lover
Jenny Dillingham - daughter of George and Rose
Ensemble (suggested minimum 8 men 6 women)
Set Requirements: ASPECT OF LOVE takes place in France and Italy between 1947 and 1964. A unit set is suggested to achieve fluidity and various locations.
SPECIFIC LOCATIONS
The Garden at Pau
A Small Theatre in Montpellier
A Café in Montpellier
The Railway Station
In a Train Compartment
The House as Pau
The Terrace at Pau
Outside the Bedroom
Up in the Pyrenees
Outside the House at Pau
The Railroad Station
A Fairground in Paris
George’s Flat in Paris
Guilietta’s Studio in Venice
A Café in Venice
A Registry Office
A Military Camp in Malaya
A Grand Theatre inParis
Rose’s Dressing Room
The Countryside around the House
Inside the House at Pau
A Circus in Paris
Jenny’s Bedroom in Paris
The Vineyards at Pau
Genre / Style: Musical Drama
Rehearsal / Orchestral Material: Rehearsal Set (40 Books)
20 Libretto
20 PIANO VOCAL SCORE
Orchestration Package (15 Books)
1 REED I (Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo),
1 REED II (Oboe, English Horn), 1 Reed III,
1 REED IV (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax),
1 HORN, 1 PERCUSSION, 1 PIANO/CELESTE,
1 HARP, 1 SYNTHESIZER, 1 VIOLIN I, 1 VIOLIN II, 1 VIOLA, 1 CELLO, 1 BASS,
1 PIANO VOCAL SCORE.
Musical Numbers: ove Changes Everything, Parlez-vous Francais?, Seeing Is Believing, A Memory Of A Happy Moment, Everybody Loves A Hero, She'd Be Far Better Off With You, Other Pleasures, There Is More To Love, Mermaid Song, The First Man You Remember, Journey Of A Lifetime, Anything But Lonely.