For Peace And Country

About

This one-woman chamber opera, directed by Gareth Mattey, brings to life the imaginative world of an eight-year-old girl through a libretto taken verbatim from a video her sister had secretly recorded years earlier. The production concept centers on making childhood fantasies a tangible reality, exploring a narrative that shifts between the silly and the surreal. The score by Isabella Gellis is noted as ambitious, eruptive, and reactive, with witty and attractive bursts of lyricism. It is scored for a unique ensemble of seven winds (B-flat/E-flat clarinets, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, tuba), two strings (violin, cello), and a piano, conducted by Elias Peter Brown. The single performer, Lotte Betts-Dean, is costumed in a snow-leopard-print onesie, embodying the self-contained world of a child marshalling her toys into a grand narrative. The production was praised for its charm, sly insight, and touching moments.