Richard Mills

The Love of the Nightingale

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SUMMARY

Experience the transformative power of song when Australia’s brightest and boldest artists star in the Sydney premiere of The Love of the Nightingale.

Sisters Procne and Philomene are separated by marriage, then united by brutality, when Procne’s husband rapes and mutilates Philomene. Rather than stay silent, the women extract a terrible revenge, then take flight.

Librettist Timberlake Wertenbaker and composer Richard Mills bring a dark beauty to the confronting tale of Procne and Philomene. The arching melodies and lush, romantic harmonies combine with words, mime and dramatic coups de theatre to confront the hardest questions. Where does violence come from? Why women?

The premiere season of this work won four Helpmann Awards, including best female performer for Emma Matthews.

A Wesfarmers Arts Commission.

A co-production of Perth International Arts Festival, West Australian Opera, Queensland Music Festival, Opera Queensland, Queensland Performing Arts Centre and Victorian Opera.