The Love of the Nightingale 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...

 in two acts by Richard Mills

Richard Mills

Richard John Mills AM, DMus BA Qld, is an Australian conductor and composer. He currently works as Artistic Director of the West Australian Opera and Artistic Consultant with Orchestra Victoria...

. The 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 Timberlake Wertenbaker

Timberlake Wertenbaker

- Biography :Wertenbaker grew up in the Basque Country of France near Saint-Jean-de-Luz. She attended schools in Europe and the US before settling permanently in London...

 is based on her play of the same name

The Love of the Nightingale

The Love of the Nightingale is a play by Timberlake Wertenbaker, commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company and published in 1989. It is an adaptation of the Ancient Greek legend of the rape of Philomela by her brother-in-law Tereus, and the gruesome revenge undertaken by Philomela and her...

. It is an adaptation of the ancient Greek legend

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

 of the rape of Philomela by her brother-in-law Tereus

Tereus

In Greek mythology, Tereus was a Thracian king, the son of Ares and husband of Procne. Procne and Tereus had a son, Itys.Tereus desired his wife's sister, Philomela. He forced himself upon her, then cut her tongue out and held her captive so she could never tell anyone. He told his wife that her...

, and the gruesome revenge undertaken by Philomela and her sister Procne

Procne

Procne may refer to:*In Greek mythology, Procne was sister to Philomela, as well as the wife of Tereus, and mother of Itys.*194 Prokne, an asteroid...

.

It premiered on 10 February 2007 at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, Western Australia, in a co-production of Perth International Arts Festival

Perth International Arts Festival

The Perth International Arts Festival is Australia's longest running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia between February-March. The program features contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, opera, visual arts, large-scale public works, Lotterywest Festival Films and the...

, West Australian Opera

West Australian Opera

West Australian Opera is the principal opera company of Western Australia and is based at His Majesty's Theatre in Perth.The company formed in 1967 and works in close association with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. As of 2008, the Chairman is Erich Fraunschiel and Artistic Director is...

, Queensland Music Festival

Queensland Music Festival

The Queensland Music Festival is a series of musical events staged in a number of locations in Queensland, Australia usually around late July, every second year. It is financially supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and a wide range of other partners...

, Opera Queensland

Opera Queensland

Opera Queensland is an opera company based in Brisbane, Queensland. The company was founded with funding from the Queensland State Government in 1981, then under the name Lyric Opera of Queensland, after the Queensland Opera Company was closed in December 1980.It is after Opera Australia the second...

, Queensland Performing Arts Centre

Queensland Performing Arts Centre

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct....

 & Victorian Opera

Victorian Opera (Melbourne)

Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 and commenced operations in January 2006 with funding from the Victorian government, and Richard Gill as Artistic Director...

. The Perth production received four Helpmann Awards in 2007: for Best Music Direction to Richard Mills; Best Female Performer in an Opera to Emma Matthews

Emma Matthews

Emma Matthews is an Australian lyric soprano, noted for operatic roles, but also popular on the concert stage. She is currently a Principal Artist with Opera Australia....

; Best Male Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera to James Egglestone; and Best Female Performer in a Supporting Role in an Opera to Orla Boylan.

In October 2011, Opera Australia

Opera Australia

Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...

 produced the opera at the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...

 with Emma Matthews (Philomele), Anke Höppner (Procne), Elizabeth Campbell (Niobe), Richard Anderson (Tereus), the composer conducting.

Roles

Role	Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types...	Premiere cast, 10 February 2007 Conductor: Richard Mills Richard Mills Richard John Mills AM, DMus BA Qld, is an Australian conductor and composer. He currently works as Artistic Director of the West Australian Opera and Artistic Consultant with Orchestra Victoria...
Procne	soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...	Orla Boylan
Philomele	soprano	Emma Matthews Emma Matthews Emma Matthews is an Australian lyric soprano, noted for operatic roles, but also popular on the concert stage. She is currently a Principal Artist with Opera Australia....
Niobe/Nurse/Narrator	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...	Elizabeth Campbell
Tereus	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...	Douglas McNicol
Captain/Hippolytus Hippolytus (mythology) thumb|260px|The Death of Hippolytus, by [[Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema]] .In Greek mythology, Hippolytus was a son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyte... /Narrator	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...	James Egglestone
Itys	treble Boy soprano A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...	Adrian Maydwell
Echo Echo (mythology) In Greek mythology, Ekho , "echo", itself from ἦχος , "sound") was an Oread who loved her own voice. Zeus loved consorting with beautiful nymphs and visited them on Earth often. Eventually, Zeus's wife, Hera, became suspicious, and came from Mt... /Aphrodite Aphrodite Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....	soprano	Sara Macliver Sara Macliver Sara Macliver is an Australian soprano singer, born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.Sara is one of Australia’s most popular and versatile artists, appearing in operas, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings...
Hero	soprano	Tamsyn Stock-Stafford
Iris Iris (mythology) In Greek mythology, Iris is the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the sun unites Earth and heaven, Iris links the gods to humanity...	soprano	Sarah-Janet Dougiamas
Helen/Phaedra Phaedra (mythology) In Greek mythology, Phaedra is the daughter of Minos and Pasiphaë, wife of Theseus and the mother of Demophon of Athens and Acamas. Phaedra's name derives from the Greek word φαιδρός , which meant "bright"....	soprano	Annabelle Chaffey
June/The Queen Zeuxippe In Greek mythology, Zeuxippe was the name of several women. The name means "she who yokes horses," from zeugos, "yoke of beasts" / "pair of horses," and hippos, "horse."...	mezzo-soprano	Fiona Campbell
1st Soldier/King Pandion Pandion I In Greek mythology, Pandion I was a legendary king of Athens, the son and heir to Erichthonius of Athens and his wife, the naiad Praxithea. He married a naiad, Zeuxippe, and they had four children, Erechtheus, Butes, Procne, and Philomela. His rule was unremarkable...	tenor	Adrian McEniery
2nd Soldier	baritone	James Clayton
Wrestlers	mute roles
Younger Itys	mute role
Chorus
West Australian Symphony Orchestra West Australian Symphony Orchestra The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
Director		Lindy Hume
Design		Dan Potra
Lighting		Nigel Levings
Costumes		Kate Hawley

Synopsis

The play is a myth

Mythology

The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...

 about men and women and the condition and experience of women in a patriarchy

Patriarchy

Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and entails female subordination...

: fate, sexual conflict, suffering, female desire, Dionysus

Dionysus

Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...

 versus Apollo

Apollo

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...

 and metamorphosis are its elements, but in the words of the drama, "We cannot rephrase it for you. If we could, why would we bother to show you the myth?"

Act 1

Scene 1:	Against a background of war outside Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... ,
Scene 2:	Athens—Procne and Philomele, two sisters, "discuss life's charms and the attractions of men." A dead soldier intervenes in the idyllic state of Procne and Philomele.
Scene 3:	King Pandion, their father, gives Procne in marriage to Tereus, liberator of Athens. Tereus and Procne leave for Thrace Thrace Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east... , the homeland of Tereus.
Scene 4:	Thrace—Procne has a child, Itys and fantasises that Itys would one day be king and ruler.
Scene 5:	Five years pass; Procne is lonely for Philomele. Procne's companions sense a danger in sending Tereus back to Athens for Philomele, but they do not have the words to express it.
Scene 6:	Athens—King Pandion and Tereus discuss Philomele's journey to Thrace against a performance of the tragedy of Hippolytus and Phaedra. During the play, Tereus is struck by Aphrodite and falls in love with Philomele.
Scene 7:	Aboard Tereus' Ship—The voyage north with Tereus, his ship captain and followers begins, with Philomele accompanied by Niobe. Philomele plies the captain with questions; she is attracted to him.
Scene 8:	Thrace—At home, Procne's companions sense danger, "Your sister is on the sea and Tereus is a young man." Procne dismisses them.
Scene 9:	A Remote Shore—Tereus' followers, and in particular two soldiers, question the elongated travel time to Thrace. He evades their enquiries. They sense a darker subtext but choose to ignore it.
Scene 10:	Tereus lies, announcing Procne's death to Philomele, who is grief-stricken, demanding to see the body.
Scene 11:	Philomele and the captain talk and declare love. Tereus interrupts and kills the captain under the guise of protecting Philomele.
Scene 12:	Thrace/A Shore—Both sisters are on stage, juxtaposing their viewpoints. Philomele grives the death of the captain and commiserates with Niobe. Procne awaits the arrival of Tereus and Philomele with the Thracian women. Tereus succumbs to Aphrodite, symbolically succumbing to lust.

Act 2

Scene 1:	A Shore—On a moonlit beach Tereus declares his love for Philomele, quoting the words of Aphrodite from the play. Philomele rejects his proposition as against the law; he rapes her. Niobe recounts her life in a world in which women are brutalised.
Scene 2:	Thrace—Procne awaits Tereus amid her uncommunicative and knowing companions. Tereus returns and tells Procne that Philomele died on the voyage.
Scene 3:	A Shore—Niobe washes and comforts Philomele. Tereus enters. Philomele recognises that Procne is alive, "I can smell her on you. You! You lied!" She berates Tereus, revealing his impotence in the action of rape as he had to cut her hymen Hymen The hymen is a membrane that surrounds or partially covers the external vaginal opening. It forms part of the vulva, or external genitalia. The size of the hymenal opening increases with age. Although an often practiced method, it is not possible to confirm with certainty that a girl or woman is a...  with a knife — he cuts out her tongue and leaves her.
Scene 4:	Niobe comforts Philomele. Tereus returns and gives her money to look after Philomele. He kisses Philomele and leaves her, "My sweet, my songless, my caged bird."
Scene 5:	Thrace—Procne, Itys and Tereus are together in the palace. Itys plays at being a soldier. Procne has become used to Thracian ways and announces that she will join the rituals of Bacchus Dionysus Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete... . Tereus rejects her advances.
Scene 6:	The Bacchae Maenad In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus , the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones"...  fill the stage. The Thracian women perform their Bacchic rituals with Procne. Philomele enters and tells the story of her rape by Tereus using dolls she has crafted. Procne recognises Philomele and her silence, and Tereus' treachery. She swears revenge for her sister.
Scene 7:	Two soldiers are curious about the progress of the female Bacchic mysteries. Itys appears. The soldiers hold him up for a better view of the secret proceedings and he sees a woman with his sword.
Scene 8:	He runs in and demands his sword from Philomele — the women ritually slaughter him. The women then comment on violence and the lack of truth and communication in society, viewing Itys as the future incarnation of tyranny and power.
Scene 9:	Tereus enters in daylight and Procne reveals Philomele to him. She berates him and presents him with the mangled body of Itys as an image of himself and the future. Tereus takes Itys' sword and attempts to kill Procne and Philomele. The minor characters and narrators comment on the story. All three are transformed into birds. Philomele into a nightingale Nightingale The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae... , Procne into a swallow Swallow The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...  and Tereus into a hoopoe Hoopoe The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes... .
Scene 10:	The work concludes with a postlude of metamorphosis; Itys questioning Philomele about her new life and Philomele, Procne and Tereus telling why they had to transform.

Differences between play and opera

Themes: The Love of the Nightingale by Timberlake Wertenbaker positions the viewer to consider specifically the abuse of women and authority by men, and their supposed inability to "ask questions" and tendency to block out all forms of criticism. The play takes a far more feminist

Feminism

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...

 outlook on the Ancient Greek myth. The opera's thematic function can be considered to not specifically be the abuse of women and authority by men, but rather the general abuse of power and the lack of criticism of authority in society. The concept that violence stems from silence is also dealt with in the opera, with greater scrutiny than in the play.
Plot: Minor plot details are changed in the opera. The role of Niobe's servant is truncated as well as the majority of dialogue being truncated from the play.

Awards

!colspan=3 style="border-top: 5px solid #FFF179;"|Helpmann Awards

External links

• Queensland Music Festival
• Orla Boylan
• James Clayton
• Sarah-Janet Dougiamas
• James Egglestone
• Tamsyn Stock-Stafford