Written on Skin

With libretto by playwright Martin Crimp ( 1956- ), “Written on Skin” is a new opera by George Benjamin (1960 - ), a British composer, writer, conductor, pianist and music teacher, who has recently become incredibly popular, in part due to the success of the opera itself. According to an article written by Eric Dahan for French daily newspaper Libération, June 19 2014 issue, “Since the wild success of “Written on Skin“, George Benjamin has become the "Spielberg of Opera" …….“Benjamin is now the "most bankable of opera composers."Similar comments on the opera - by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, for the New York Times, August 13 2013 issue - are: “Within minutes of the premiere of George Benjamin’s “Written on Skin“, at the Aix-en-Provence Festival last summer, opera houses around the world jostled for production rights to this darkly erotic opera ………. In the past year, it has been staged in London, Amsterdam, Toulouse, Munich and Vienna, each time bringing audiences to their feet and leaving critics to pull out superlatives they hadn’t thought they’d ever use in the context of new opera“.More comparably positive reviews on George Benjamin and his latest opera are available on the internet.After reading the above and similar responses to the opera and its authors, can anyone possibly give Written on Skin anything less than five stars?So, having concluded that - based on the general opinion - this new composition is a masterpiece as well as a milestone in the opera world, let us learn more about it.Written on Skin is an opera in three parts - yes, it is parts not acts, as librettist Martin Crimps assures us. It premiered at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2012, and was then shown at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, during March 2013. George Benjamin conducted both performances. The opera had its US premiere in August at the 2013 Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, where it was also conducted by the composer.The opera in the DVD is the one presented at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden during March 2013. It lasts approximately 90 minutes. It is sang in English, with English, French, German and Japanese subtitles.Like many 20th- 21st century operas - most prominent among them, Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande and Berg's Wozzeck - Written on Skin is not the traditional collection of arias and recitatifs of the 18th and 19th century operas. It has been described by music reviewer and commentator, Lloyd Schwartz as “a setting for a play divided into short scenes, with some of the best music coming between the scenes“.The staging is unusual, and consists of four tableaus appearing simultaneously on the stage/TV screen - a long one above, two below, and a staircase on the right side. Two of the tableaus show 21st century environments, the third, a medieval background. The setting shifts from one tableau to another, the effect being accomplished by highlighting the tableau in question. The shifting results in an interesting overlapping of time, from 13th century to our own times.Costumes are both medieval and 21st century, probably more often 21st century, than medieval.The libretto is based on the legend of the troubadour Guillaume de Cabestany, a legend that was described in various literary works of the time, including The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375). The place is Provence. The time - as we just noted - shifts from our modern era to the 13th century, when books were rare because individually hand prepared, and precious because written and illuminated on animal skins (hence the title of the opera).Three angels - some narrators and characters at the same time - open the show by singing about how our modern civilization, with its parking lots and international airports, has been built on top of the "heaped-up dead” of the past.The actual story is not for the faint of heart. If you found disturbing the last scene from Wozzeck - where the little boy hears about the recently found body of a woman on the outskirts of town, and all alone heads for the site, without realizing that such a woman is his own mother - this opera is not for you. Neither it is, if you found in bad taste the scene from Richard Strauss’ Salomé, where the heroine sings passionate love words to the severed bleeding head of St. John the Baptist. You may not appreciate the same opera, if you think that Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District has too much explicit sex.Written on Skin is more graphic and more disconcerting than any of the above, possibly even than all of the above put together. Particularly so, because it is narrated by angels who - while comment throughout on the action from a modern-day perspective - do recognize the cruelty in human nature, yet realize that such cruelty cannot be controlled.This is what happens. A wealthy man, known as “The Protector” - and described by the angels as “addicted to purity and violence” - pays a character known as “The Boy” (in reality, one of the angels who assumes human form for the story) to create an illuminated manuscript which will flatter himself and his family and possibly make them immortal. The Protector treats his wife Agnès poorly, as he considers her just another of his possessions. Unhappy, Agnès turns her attention to The Boy. The two have an affair which is very short lived because The Protector - who apparently is also in love and having a liaison with The Boy (based on the way he kisses him on stage, possibly in real life as well) - soon becomes aware of it. He is wildly jealous: after all, not only has his own wife been unfaithful, so has his young male lover. He takes revenge on the two of them by murdering The Boy; by then pulling out his heart, cooking it and offering it to his unaware wife who actually finds the dish pleasant to the taste, “salt and sweet“, as she describes it………... .Such is the story so far, without any exaggerations, all details being accurately acted out on stage.Agnès is not horrified, after her husband reveals the nature of her dinner, rather she seems mildly content, as she believes that she has swallowed the heart of the man she loved and that consequently she has made him part of herself.Like in a Greek tragedy, Agnès dies in the end - by suicide, after jumping out of the balcony, and in order to avoid being killed by her husband….., “The Protector“.Her falling body appears suspended on-stage against the night sky, while three painted angels look towards the spectators.The opera ends.If we believe the unanimously positive reviews by the press both in Europe and the United States, we can only conclude that this is a work after which opera will never be the same. But then again, it may be just a question of taste. Personally, rather than moving with the times, in this particular case, I would prefer to remain behind and watch more traditional 18th and 19th century works, such as Don Giovanni or the Magic Flute; L’Elisir d’Amore; La Traviata or Aida; La Boheme. Perhaps, just perhaps, even 20th century operas such as Peter Grimes and Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.

a fascinating modern opera - not melodious but very listenable

This Opera, composed by George Benjamin is one of a kind, incredibly well written and performed by singers who inhabit their rolls completely. Benjamin took years to write this opera and the time has served him well. So many contemporary operas seem to be so filled with sound that there is no time for silence. Benjamin has a healthy respect for beautiful melodic lines with plenty of air between voice and instruments yet he can hit hard with a crunch of brass and percussion and create a violence unique and frightening. The libretto jumps back and forth from Medieval times to the 21sst C, without seeming like a gimmick. I love everything about this piece.

I made a terrible mistake. I'm not squeamish when it comes to Modernism in music--I loved "L'Amour du Loin", also based on a medieval legend. But, when I order to understand what I am watching and listening to, I need to pore over obtuse technical explanations, the music is frankly unimpressive to my "untrained" ears, the mise-en-scene has no visual attractiveness, I say: don't go there. Only for academics, opera reviewers and the British, who, by the way, should listen to more Britten and less of this pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook. And, to add salt to the wound, the case arrived smashed. As for myself, I am sticking to Vivaldi.

Excellently sung (Ms Hannigan above all), played and staged. It is an interesting piece of contemporary opera, which has prompted me to investigate other works by Mr Benjamin

Written on Skin is a modern opera composed by George Benjamin and written by Martin Crimp. It tells the story of three main characters: The Boy, The Protector and his submissive wife Agnes. Set in 13th Century Provence, the wealthy Protector pays the Boy to create an illuminated manuscript to document his deeds. The Boy and the Protector’s wife Agnes become attracted to each other, initiating a love triangle between the characters, setting the scene for Agnes’ uprising and a surprising act of revenge. The Boy is murdered by the Protector, who then forces Agnes to eat The Boy’s heart, finally, in the operatic climax Agnes commits suicide.Nearly all of the Opera is sung by the three characters, giving the duration an almost short feeling compared to the typically 2 1/2 hour Operas that I am used to.The libretto written by Martin Crimp is very straightforward, and easy to understand while still being very dramatic, it is styled in a way which allows the main characters to talk about themselves and narrate their actions in the third person, almost allowing the audience to hear their thoughts whilst creating a subtle distance between the performer and the character. The vivid intensity is maintained throughout the performanceAs usual the Orchestra are fantastic, with the orchestral score including conventional instruments, as well as a few unusual ones like the glass harmonica and steel drum.I particularly liked the very modern staging, which is divided into four sections akin to different periods in time; two sections on the left resembling office rooms, and in the right sided sections, the inside of the Protector’s home and an outdoor wood area. There is a stark contrast between the two sides, with the left side having a very simplistic office style, giving it a very modern vibe compared to the ‘period’ design of the right side.Another element of the performance that was enjoyable was the use of the ‘secondary’ Angel characters. The staging and libretto provided that the Angels were not just mere onlookers but were active in the story, they appear throughout the Opera steering the characters in their different directions, whispering rumors and impulses to the characters and setting the sceneThe lighting was also very good providing the right atmosphere for the particular scene along with the camera angles sometimes focusing on one particular room to allow the viewer to feel completely immersed in the scene and see the character’s facial expression and actions, rather than have to search the stage for the character.The DVD also includes behind the scene videos, a selection of subtitles including French, Italian and German and a leaflet with a thorough synopsis enabling viewers to get a better understanding of the opera.Although at the beginning it took me a while to follow the opera, I enjoyed the intensity and staging. It was also a pleasant surprise to find that the Opera was sung entirely in English, allowing me to focus more on the Opera and not have to split my concentration between the subtitles and the performance. Definitely a must see for any modern opera lovers.

Production of a new opera is often important and this record of Written on Skin is an important one. The opera....many very fine reviews.

Es una ópera maravillosa

Opera interessante ma senza sottotitoli in italiano. Visto che in Italia la produzione di opere è molto limitata rispetto ad altri paesi, almeno sottotitolare gli spettacoli che hanno un discreto giro nei paesi di lingua inglese... In attesa di trovare un libretto.

Ein Text des Dramatikers Martin Crimp, in dessen Zentrum das Ausleben exzessiven Kontrollzwangs, die Inbesitznahme der Ehefrau in einer gestörten Beziehung steht. Der Narzissmus des Ehemanns bis zum Mordexzess ausagiert.Zeitlich verschneidet der Text das 13.Jh. und die Neuzeit, die Bühne gibt diesem Ansatz durch Teilung Ausdruck.Lyrische Aspekte stehen für Reflexion, die epischen für den parallel laufenden Kommentar zum Geschehen, Distanz schaffend. Eine Vorgehensweise im Text, die man erst mal realisieren muß, um zu verstehen.Die Musik tönt ankoppelnd an den Text - Richard Wagners Forderung in Oper und Drama insofern umsetzend. Aber nicht wie in der traditionellen Oper, klingt Konflikt schön melodisch, sondern dissonant.Die Musik ist quasi subtil tastend, exzessiv, eruptiv, streichelnd, brutal, aber nicht atonal.Die Solisten u.a.Christopher Purves als Protector, erstklassig,Barbara Hannigan als Agnes, großartig,Bejun Metha als Boy und Angel 1, counter-tenorale Subtilität,George Benjamin dirigiert als Komponist.Sicher so etwas wie eine Grenzerfahrung in Sachen Inhalt und Darstellung und ein musikalisches Abenteurer für den, der den Horizont erweitern möchte.Die Schlußszene setzt Katie Mitchell als Highlight in der Ebene der ausatmenden Szenerie in den Stillstand, grandios.

Si vous vous intéressez à l'opéra contemporain, que vous ayez ou non assisté aux représentations données à Aix pour sa création à l'été 2013 ou à Favart en Février 2014, que vous voulez comprendre pourquoi "Written on skin" ouvre une perspective nouvelle et est un acte fondateur d'un opéra différent, courrez et précipitez-vous sur ce formidable enregistrement.Ici, c'est la version donnée à Londres fin 2013 qui est gravée. On y retrouve le décor intégral de la création, dont l'escalier qui joue un rôle essentiel à la fin du troisième acte, conçu pour une large scène ce que Favart n'a pas pu offrir. On y retrouve aussi l'ensemble des chanteurs de la création à l'exception de l'ange N°2/Marie remplacée par une excellente Victoria Simmonds. C'est toujours George Benjamin qui dirige une partition dont la prise de son très précise nous livre ici, bien mieux que sur le CD capté lors du festival d'Aix, tout le détail, toute la richesse incroyable comme ce recours à un jeu de verres en cristal accordés par exemple.On reste ébloui par le texte du livret, écrit avec une langue à la fois simple et poétique. La mise en scène inventive où les chanteurs sont aussi les petites mains intervenant en coulisses (ouvertes et intégrées à la scène) pour accompagner, habiller, équiper les trois solistes. On nous conte ici l'histoire d'une histoire dont le thème est lui-même la narration post mortem d'une histoire. Subtil mais cela devient une évidence absolue, sans chichi.Que dire de l'interprétation si ce n'est qu'elle se situe au sommet. Barbara Hannigan est éblouissante à son habitude, Bejun Mehta, qui n'est pourtant pas mon contre-ténor favori, irréprochable dans son chant comme dans son jeu, Christopher Purves haletant.Formidablement capté tant en video qu'en audio, ce DVD s'impose comme une évidence et est un immense moment d'opéra !

We knew nothing about this opera and , for the first 20 minutes or so,wondered if anything was going to happen. By then we were more in tune with the method of telling the story and the action grew by the moment. We were transfixed and shall be watching the DVD again. The music is really used to accentuate the action and works brilliantly in that context. I cannot imagine it working so well purely as a sound track.