Fairies Found and Lost: a mini opera for mezzo-soprano and piano
ca. 12 min.
composed for Opera From Scratch 2024
Music by J. A. Devor
Libretto by J. A. Devor, adapted from:
- traditional, Tha Mi Sgith (A Fairy’s Love Song)
- Elizabeth Bishop, Behind Stowe
- John Hunter-Duvar, The Emigration of the Fairies
Full Instrumentation:
- woman (mezzo soprano) … medium voice [A3-Ab5]
- optional doubling on alto recorder
- piano
Table of Contents:
- introduction
- scene one: a final encounter
- interlude
- scene two: recounting the tale
Synopsis:
An older woman hears fragments of a fairy’s long-forgotten song and wonders. She reminisces about an encounter with a potential fairy many years ago when she was younger. As her grandmother did to her, she then passes on the tale of how fairies accidently followed the Scottish emigrants to the Canadian coast, even if they no longer exist in this modern world.
composed for Opera From Scratch 2024
premiered by Elizabeth Rudolph and Ria Kim on 18 August 2024 – St. Andrew’s Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia
audio/video recording by Andrew David Terris