The Navigator is an opera by Liza Lim to a libretto by Patricia Sykes. The work had its world premiere at the Judith Wright Arts Centre as part of the Brisbane Festival 2008 on 30 July 2008.[1] It lasts for about 100 minutes without an interval.
The work was developed during Lim's stay in 2007/2008 in Berlin; on 9 March 2008, excerpts were performed with the ELISION ensemble conducted by Simon Hewett at the MaerzMusik Festival, part of the Berliner Festspiele.[2][3]
Theme
editThe Navigator evokes stories from the great Indian epic Mahabharata and the romance of Tristan und Isolde, in its telling of how people risk everything in journeying towards unity and/or transformation, questioning the contingency of living only one life in one world.
— from the program notes:[1]
Roles
edit| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 30 July 2008 Conductor: Manuel Nawri |
|---|---|---|
| The Beloved | soprano | Talise Trevigne |
| The Navigator | countertenor | Andrew Watts |
| The Fool | baritone | Omar Ebrahim |
| Angel of History | soprano | Deborah Kayser |
| The Crone | bass-baritone | Philip Larson |
| Recorder soloist | Genevieve Lacey | |
| Orchestra | ELISION Ensemble | |
| Director | Barrie Kosky | |
| Set design | Barrie Kosky and Alice Babidge | |
| Costume design | Alice Babidge | |
| Lighting design | Damien Cooper | |
| Sound design | Michael Hewes | |
References
edit- ^ a b "The Navigator". Brisbane Festival. 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ "Liza Lim Portrait". Berliner Festspiele / MaerzMusik. 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ Shineberg, Susan (18 March 2008). "No sitting on the fence for our musicians in Berlin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
