| Vision of Lear | |
|---|---|
| Opera byToshio Hosokawa | |
 The composer on VioWorld in 2011 | |
| Librettist | Tadashi Suzuki |
| Language | English |
| Based on | Shakespeare'sKing Lear |
| Premiere | |
Vision of Lear is the first opera byToshio Hosokawa which premiered at theMunich Biennale in 1998. The opera in two acts is an adaptation of Shakespeare'sKing Lear, including elements from the traditional JapaneseNoh theatre. Thelibretto was written in English byTadashi Suzuki.
Toshio Hosokawa composed his first opera in 1997 and 1998 on a commission of the City of Munich for its 1998Munich Biennale.[1] Thelibretto was written in English byTadashi Suzuki, based on Shakespeare's playKing Lear.[1] The opera in two acts includes elements from the traditional JapaneseNoh theatre.[2]
The world premiere at the Carl-Orff-Saal of theGasteig on 19 April 1998, as part of the festival, was staged by Suzuki who was also responsible for stage, costume, and lighting design.[3] It was performed by the Xsemble Munich, conducted byGeorges-Elie Octors [nl], in a co-production of the Biennale and theShizuoka Performing Arts Center.[1][3] The UK premiere was given in the Linbury Studio of theRoyal Opera House on 31 January 2002,[1] staged by director Harry Ross and designer Mike Jardine, and conducted byGregory Rose, withNicholas Garrett in the title role.[4]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 19 April 1998 Conductor: Georges-Elie Octors[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Lear | bass | Nicholas Isherwood[5] |
| Goneril | contralto | Annette Elster[6] |
| Regan | highsoprano | |
| Cordelia | soprano | |
| Alnany, Goneril's husband | lowbaritone | |
| Cornwall, Regan's husband | high baritone | |
| Edgar | baritone | |
| Edmund | tenor | |
| Gloucester | low baritone | |
| Oswald | tenor |
Supporting roles are: Servant/Captain/Gentleman, sung by one tenor, two nurses, played by actors, and an optional children's choir or female choir.[1]
The Lear story is framed by a situation in which a nurse reads from Shakespeare's play to an old man. His memories of his life, and the events in the drama connect. He has visions of bringing Goneril and Regan to court, and speaks in Lear's words to imagined figures from the drama. His life ends with a vision of Lear dying with Cordelia's corpse in his arms. The nurse keeps reading.[1]
