CCM OPERA SERIES PRESENTS
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Ronald Duncan, after the play by André Obey
Nov. 16-19, 2023, Patricia Corbett Theater
*CCM student
Content advisory: For mature audiences, contains scenes of self-harm and sexual violence.
By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright owner.
Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.
The composer Benjamin Britten, a registered conscientious objector and Christian pacifist, returned to Great Britain with his partner, Peter Pears, after a three year long self-imposed exile in the United States during 1939-42 at the peak of World War II. It was after witnessing the devastation of London and the British countryside that he began to write two of his greatest and most challenging pieces: The War Requiem and The Rape of Lucretia.
The Rape of Lucretia was his first chamber opera. In it Britten uses virtuosic vocal writing and eerie orchestral textures to weave together a hard-hitting, atmospheric theatre work that sounds and feels unlike anything else in the repertory. The story is framed by the observation and narration of a male and female chorus serving much the same role as in a Greek tragedy but in this context looking at the tragedy through Britten’s very personal Christian lens. The male and female chorus sing, “While we as two observers stand between this present audience and that scene, we'll view these human passions and these years through eyes which once have wept with Christ's own tears.”
The dramatic strength of this opera lies in its fearless treatment of taboos and the most primal means of human expression. Ronald Duncan based his English libretto on André Obey’s play Le Viol de Lucréce which in turn, was based on the 142-volume History of Rome, by the historian Livy tells the tragic story of the rape of a Roman noblewoman Lucretia by the heir apparent of the invading Etruscan military regime, Tarquinias. It was Lucretia’s martyrdom that resulted in the founding of the Republic of Rome.
The Rape of Lucretia does not back away from clearly detailing unbearable abuses of power, war, sexual violence, misogyny, xenophobia and martyrdom. The female chorus begins by stating: "It is an axiom among kings, to use a foreign threat to hide a local evil.” Britten views the story both as historical narrative and as an allegory to address the continued violence against women, colonialism, war, social, political and religious struggles still unfortunately part of the human condition.
The chorus "observers" are only tasked by Britten to recount the story. Despite this directive, they still attempt to stop Tarquinius's act of violence. Unfortunately, their attempt to change the course of history is thwarted, and they are tragically unable to prevent the inevitable crime. They can only repeat their endless narrative to each “present day audience.”
Seen in allegorical terms, this production explores the Pagan symbolism while asking the question: how can we of faith now stand and watch without feeling complicity? Is forgiveness or redemption humanly possible? Can Christianity or any other religion help us to understand or stop the cycle of continued violence against women, the resurgence of racism, xenophobia, war and domestic gun violence? It is these questions that make this magnificent allegorical work even more relevant in our current times of violence at home and abroad.
It must be our mission as artists in society to face these challenges with diligence and depth of study coupled with a commitment to our audience to fiercely and courageously engage as artists in all aspects of the human condition. In this production we do not shy away from the reality of good and evil portrayed in Duncan’s and Britten’s allegory of “the white dove and the poisonous viper." In our present complex world where wars still rage, Britten asks us to look with “eyes wide open” and consider with our hearts and good faith how to stop the endless cycle of violence and war and live to our greater potential as artists and human beings.
If you or someone you know is a victim of violence or experiencing a mental health related crisis the links below will direct you to resources that can help:
Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support: call or text 988; chat at 988lifeline.org. Connect with a trained crisis counselor. 988 is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365. Visit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for more information at 988lifeline.org.
- Darya Zholnerova, Director and Robin Guarino, Dramaturg
* Performs Thursday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 18
^ Performs Friday, Nov. 17 and Sunday, Nov. 19
William Langley, alumni guest conductor
Stephen Hardie, graduate assistant conductor (conductor on Nov. 19)
Associate Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, William R. Langley, began his career as an orchestral conductor at age sixteen. In 2009 he founded the Wolf River Chamber Orchestra and in 2011 the Memphis Repertory Orchestra. The MRO served as the Orchestra in Residence at the Buckman Performing Arts Center where they gave over forty- five performances during their residency.
An avid performer, the young Maestro has appeared as guest conductor with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Starling Chamber Orchestra, Blueshift Ensemble, Concert:Nova, and All of the Above ensemble. In 2017 he made his opera debut with the CCM Opera Theatre where he conducted a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide as a part of their "Bernstein at a 100" centennial celebration and has since gone on to work with the opera companies of Cincinnati (as the John L. Magro Resident Conductor 2021-2022) workshopping, covering, and performing various operas since 2018 and in Naples (Florida) covering Ramon Tebar and making his debut in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied (2022). Recent opera appearances include his return to CCM Opera leading productions of Gregory Spears’s Fellow Travelers and Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia. Langley has recorded albums with the Memphis Repertory Orchestra (Dvorak + Tchaikovsky and“Voyagers : Scheherazade + Mitton”) and All of the Above Ensemble (Double Portrait), the latter of which led to his Carnegie Hall conducting debut in the fall of 2018.
In demand as a cover conductor, Langley has been a frequent cover with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cincinnati covering such conductors as Sir Donald Runnicles, Louis Langrée, Carlos Kalmar, Juanjo Mena, Jonathon Heyward, Ramón Tebar, Peter Oundjian, Nathalie Stutzmann, Nicola Luisotti, Xian Zhang, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, to name a few.
Langley holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in Cincinnati where he studied under the tutelage of Maestro Mark Gibson. He was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the American Austrian Foundation to be awarded one of two esteemed Ansbacher Fellowships for Young Conductors with the opportunity to study in Austria at the 2019 Salzburger Festspiele.
Langley, who “conducts with considerable theatricality, elicited a dramatic performance from the orchestra.” (Jon Sparks/Commercial Appeal), was the subject of a featured article entitled “Young Conductor Realizing Dreams” in the Commercial Appeal as well as the Memphis Flyer’s cover story “20 < 30” as one of “20 young Memphians shaping the city’s future”.
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May 20, 2024
The United States Coast Guard Band brings its "Heartland Harmonies" concert tour to UC's College-Conservatory of Music on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The free concert is presented in Corbett Auditorium as part of the band's tour through the American South and Midwest regions for public performances and educational outreach.
May 20, 2024
Students of all ages and abilities with an interest in the performing arts can explore their creativity in Prep programs at UC's College-Conservatory of Music. CCM Prep offers a wide variety of classes in dance, music and theatre arts — including classes for adults, young children teens and pre-professional students preparing for a future in the performing arts.
May 16, 2024
UC College-Conservatory of Music Interim Dean Jonathan Kregor has announced the addition of Lynn Worcester Jones, DMA, to the college’s roster of distinguished performing and media arts faculty members. Jones is an innovative pianist, educator, writer, speaker, mentor and leader who encourages career preparation and excellence in students. She begins her new role as Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Coordinator of Group Piano at CCM on Aug. 15, 2024.
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The competitive scholarships CCMpower provides help attract and retain the best and brightest students, nurture professional development opportunities and – in turn – continue CCM’s tradition of excellence for the next generation of student-artists. Join or renew your CCMpower membership today to help provide critical scholarship funds.
Join or renew your CCMpower member today to help provide critical scholarship funds. Visit foundation.uc.edu/ccmpower to learn more.
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CCM's faculty and staff and its state-of-the-art facilities make possible the professional training and exceptional education on which CCM believes the future of the arts relies. The school's roster of eminent faculty regularly receives distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and its alumni have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts. More than 150 internationally recognized faculty members work with students from around the world, specializing in eight areas of study.
Performance dates and repertoire are subject to change. View CCM's current calendar of events.
The purpose of these performances is educational, and they are part of a University of Cincinnati academic program.
