New Year (opera)

New Year
Opera by Michael Tippett
Librettist	Tippett
Language	English
Premiere	27 October 1989 (1989-10-27) Houston Grand Opera

New Year is an opera in three acts by composer Michael Tippett, who wrote his own libretto. It was first performed by Houston Grand Opera on 27 October 1989, in a production by Peter Hall.

Tippett has noted that the "primary metaphor" of the opera is dance. The choreographer of the original production was the noted American dancer Bill T. Jones.

Performance history

The first UK production was at Glyndebourne, and subsequently Glyndebourne Touring Opera presented an adapted version of Peter Hall's production. As with Tippett's other operas, the text and music encompass a widely eclectic range of cultural references.

As of 3 July 2024 Birmingham Opera Company plans to mount a full-scale production directed by Keith Warner with Alpesh Chauhan conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The cast is intended to include Francesca Chiejina as Jo Ann; Sakiwe Mkosana as Donny; Sarah Pring as Nan; Lucia Lucas as Merlin; Joshua Stewart as Pelegrin; Samantha Crawford as Regan. Simone Sandroni is the choreographer, Nicky Shaw is the stage designer, Mariana Rosas rehearsed the choir. The immersive staging is expected to take place in a vast circus-style tent, branded The Dream Tent, erected on the site of the former Smithfield Wholesale Markets in Central Birmingham. The design will see the action raised on multiple platforms with a vast white cube at one end of the space, a house at the other and a central circular podium between the two. The audience is expected to stand and move around the space with the action. Members of the Birmingham Opera Company Chorus and actors will regularly descend from their platforms to interact with the audience in typical Birmingham Opera Company style.

Roles

Roles, voice type, premiere cast

Role	Voice type	Premiere cast, 27 October 1989 Conductor: John DeMain
Jo Ann, a trainee children's doctor	lyric soprano	Helen Field
Donny, her young brother	light baritone	Krister St. Hill
Nan, their foster mother	dramatic mezzo-soprano	Jane Shaulis
Merlin, the computer wizard	dramatic baritone	James Maddalena
Pelegrin, the space pilot	lyric tenor	Peter Kazaras
Regan, their boss	dramatic soprano	Richetta Manager
The presenter	microphoned male singer	John Schiappa

Synopsis

The story of the opera moves between two worlds, of "Somewhere and Today" and "Nowhere and Tomorrow".

Act 1

Jo Ann is a child psychologist who wants to work with young victims of the urban conflict going on in "Terror Town" outside of her domicile. However, she is so afraid of Terror Town that she does not venture out of the apartment. Her Rastafarian foster brother Donny is generally delinquent in his behaviour towards her and their mutual foster mother, Nan. Out of nowhere, a spaceship emerges, carrying Merlin, a "computer wizard", and the pilot Pelegrin, under the leadership of Regan. These are time travelers from the future, and the ship makes a connection with Jo Ann's apartment.

Act 2

It is centered at a New Year's festivity. A shaman, in a trance, induces the crowd of revellers to pummel Donny as part of the celebration. The space ship arrives and Merlin asserts his authority over the activities. Jo Ann and Pelegrin do meet, but they are separated when the spaceship leaves the scene. Jo Ann saves Donny from the beating crowd, and the act ends to the sounds of the traditional song "Auld Lang Syne".

Act 3

Pelegrin presents Jo Ann with a symbolic rose, as a symbol of their love. She loses the rose, but he recovers it. Jo Ann is finally cured of her fears and can go out again into the world outside of her home. The Presenter summarizes the final message as: "One humanity, one justice".

External links

• Meirion Bowen, "Michael Tippett´s New Year: A Modern Masque" (2003), from Michael Tippett web page