Brett Dean: The World’s Wife premiere at BBC Proms
Setting texts by Carol Ann Duffy, Brett Dean’s new song cycle The World’s Wife is unveiled at the BBC Proms on 29 July, with soprano Claire Booth. Following its world premiere with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Wigglesworth, further performances are planned by co-commissioners in Europe and Australia.
Brett Dean selected six texts by Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy for his new orchestral song cycle, premiered at the BBC Proms on 29 July at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Three of the poems were drawn from her collection The World’s Wife, which gives the cycle its name. All the poems give voice to women who have often been overshadowed by history and myth, from Medusa to Miss Havisham. Scored for soprano and orchestra, the new 20-minute work features soloist Claire Booth, with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth.
Dean describes how Claire Booth sending him Duffy’s poetry provided the spur to create the new song cycle: “I was particularly struck by ‘Valentine’ – which, fittingly, opens the cycle – and after seeking out two volumes of Duffy’s writings I became increasingly taken by the powerful imagery and drama of the language, but also its directness – its ‘straight to the heart of the matter’ approach."
“A particular consideration when choosing the poems was having variations in length – contrast that proved pivotal for the dramaturgy and alternating characters of the cycle as a whole. Once chosen, I followed my usual approach for setting texts: I tend to first read them out loud – in order to get a feel for their rhythms, undulations, cadences and impact – then sketch some early melodic or motivic responses. In a best-case scenario, the shape and nature of the evolving vocal writing starts to suggest itself after a while… The work has a ‘large chamber orchestra’ feel, rather than one of full-blown symphonic proportions. This seemed fitting for the intimate domesticity of some of the texts, while hopefully still being big enough for the ideas and drama to fill the Royal Albert Hall in the way the texts deserve.”
Dean’s season-long composer residency with the Berlin Philharmonic is launched on 10 September with the premiere of Conversations with Schumann, featuring soprano Jennifer France under the composer’s baton. Other repertoire highlights in the Berlin residency includes a new orchestral score Phantoms on 11 February conducted by Sakari Oramo and his violin concerto The Lost Art of Letter Writing with soloist Isabelle Faust on 17 June with Alan Gilbert on the rostrum.
New Year 2027 brings a new Brett Dean music theatre work, Good Sometimes Queen, with six performances at The Royal Opera’s Linbury Theatre in London between 23 and 29 January. The 50-minute score combines two Dean song cycles with texts by Matthew Jocelyn. Madame ma bonne Soeur, written for mezzo Lotte Betts-Dean, is a further exploration of Mary Queen of Scots who was a protagonist in Dean’s recent opera Of One Blood, premiered in Munich in May. And once I played Ophelia is a musical tapestry of words uttered by, and about, the heroine of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, sung here by Jennifer France. Performances in London also feature the Doric String Quartet and the production is staged by director Ola Ince.
> Further information on Work: And once I played Ophelia
Photo: Bettina Stöß