Bang! (Rutter)
Encyclopedia
Bang! is an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 for young people by John Rutter
John Rutter
John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...

 to an English libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...

 by David Richard Grant. The opera was written for the Trinity Boys Choir
Trinity School of John Whitgift
The Trinity School of John Whitgift, usually referred to as Trinity School, is a British independent boys' day school with a co-educational Sixth Form, located in Shirley Park, Croydon. The current building was constructed in 1965 on the site of the former Shirley Hotel...

, and the ensemble premiered the work at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon under conductor David Squibb
David Squibb
David Squibb born November 28, 1935 was the head of music at Trinity School of John Whitgift. He is most known for founding Trinity School Boys' Choir, one of the busiest and most successful school choirs in the world. It has a high professional profile, both in the UK and abroad...

 on 14 March 1975.

Synopsis

The story is based on The Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The Catholics were persecuted by James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

, so they plotted to blow up the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...

. The story is narrated by the elusive Father Garnet, leader of the Jesuits.

Recordings

Rutter - Bang! Trinity Boys Choir, Ex Trinitate Orchestra, conducted by David Squibb (Herald HAVPCD 283, 2003).
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