An Opera for Tilford
Concept
A Community Opera
is to be staged in All Saints Church Tilford in June 2010, to celebrate the
village and its history and to enable local people to join in a tradition of
music for which the village is famous. It will form a special additional part
of the Festival of Music that the Tilford Bach Society presents in the church
every summer.
The cast for
the Opera will be drawn from the community, with lead parts sung by
professionals and a chorus that includes the children of
Local drama
societies and choirs will provide the “characters” in the story and
the music will be played by a professional orchestra conducted by the TBS
Director of Music, Laurence Cummings, a musician of international repute.
The story
behind the Opera is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel Sir Nigel, an
historical romance set in Tilford in the Middle Ages, for which a libretto has
already been written by local writer Rosemary Wisbey.
Theme of the Opera
In 1906 Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle published Sir Nigel, an historical romance set in medieval
Tilford. He was living at Hindhead
and enjoyed bicycling around the local countryside, incorporating it into much
of his writing.
In the
operatic adaptation, Nigel of Tilford is set in 1904 when Conan Doyle visits
Tilford and tells the story of his future literary hero to a group of
schoolchildren. As the tale
unfolds, with the eager assistance of the children, it comes to life in a
series of dramatic, romantic and comic scenes.
We meet the
dreaded Wild Man of Puttenham and his wily wife, face the horrors of the Worm
of the Wey and feast with the King of England. With the help of his faithful friend
Samkin, the impoverished Nigel of Tilford becomes Sir Nigel and is able to
restore the family fortunes and marry the beautiful Lady Mary.
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Performances
at
All Saints Church, Tilford
Saturday, 12th
June, 2010
3pm and at 6.30pm
Sunday, 13th
June 2010
3pm
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