Mon 29 May 2006

The first opera by young Scottish composer Stuart MacRae receives its world premiere on Friday 25 August 2006 at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).

The Assassin Tree has been commissioned and will be staged by the EIF and the Royal Opera House in a co-production with Scottish Opera.

This new production, which will be the Royal Lyceum Theatre, has a four-strong cast of rising stars.

Kathleen Ferrier Award winning Canadian soprano Gillian Keith is Diana. Her recent operatic roles include Titania in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Studio Theatre and Woodbird in Scottish Opera’s Ring Cycle.

New Zealand baritone Paul Whelan, past winner of the Lieder Prize in the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and last seen at the EIF in 2001 as Panthée in Berlioz’s The Trojans, sings the role of the King Priest.

Tenor Peter Van Hulle, who performs regularly with Scottish Opera, sings the role of the Slave and Canadian tenor Colin Ainsworth completes the cast as the Youth.

Simon Armitage, the award winning poet and playwright provides the libretto for The Assassin Tree - the first he has written for an opera.

The Assassin Tree is inspired by an ancient classical myth. The King of the Wood (The King Priest in the Opera) is a priest of the goddess Diana. Only freed or escaped slaves can become the King Priest - to do this they must murder the incumbent King Priest. The new King Priest then spends the rest of his reign awaiting the same grisly fate.

In Armitage and MacRae’s version of the tale, the King Priest is Diana’s husband as well as her protector and has grown old and weary. So not only is the King Priest under threat from potential successors, but his wife wants to replace him as well.

Dutch-based choreographers and directors Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten, whose work was first introduced to the UK as part of the EIF’s Dance Programme in 2000 with Extra Dry are creating the design concept and will co-direct The Assassin Tree.

A chamber orchestra of players from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House will be conducted by Garry Walker, Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Principal Conductor of Paragon Ensemble and Music Director of the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra.

Brian McMaster, Director of Edinburgh International Festival, said: “We are delighted to have brought together a talented and diverse team to create this new opera. I think it is important, too, that after receiving its world premiere in Edinburgh the opera will be seen in London and then in the repertoire of Scottish Opera. The Assassin Tree demonstrates that opera is very much alive as an art-form.”

Born in Inverness in 1976, Stuart MacRae’s Second Violin Concerto was premiered at the Proms in 2001 with violinist Tasmin Little, and later performed by Christain Tetzlaff at the EIF in 2002. His work has been performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic and Hebrides Ensemble, among others. 2005 saw the premiere of three significant pieces, Hamartia, Two Scenes from the Death of Count Ugnolino and Three Pictures. Between 1999 and 2003 he was Composer-in-Association with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He was the Edinburgh Festival/University of Edinburgh Creative Fellow 2005/2006 - the first composer to hold the post.

ENDS

Editors Notes

1. The post of Edinburgh Festival / University of Edinburgh Creative Fellowship is run by the Edinburgh International Festival and the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. It provides a bursary and a work space at the Institute for the duration of the fellowship. Stuart MacRae was the third Edinburgh Festival / University of Edinburgh Creative Fellow. He was preceded by playwrights Douglas Maxwell and David Harrower.

2. The Assassin Tree will be at the Lindbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House from Wed 6 - Fri 8 September. For further information about these performances please contact Sara Parsons on Tel + 44 (0) 207 212 5904 or sara.parsons@roh.org.uk. www.roh.org.uk

The Assassin Tree
Music by Stuart MacRae. Words by Simon Armitage
Conductor: Garry Walker. Direction, Lighting and set concept: Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten
Video design: Joost Rekveld. Lighting Design: Henk Danner. Costume Design: Clifford Portier.
An Edinburgh International Festival, Royal Opera House and Scottish Opera Co-Production
The Assassin Tree has been commissioned with support from The Morton Charitable Trust.

Fri 25 Aug - Sun 27 8.00pm. Royal Lyceum Theatre.
Tickets from Hub Tickets Tel 0131 473 2000 or online from www.eif.co.uk

Please contact the EIF Press Office for further information: Susie Burnet or Brian Maycock on Tel +44 (0)131 473 2020 or press@eif.co.uk