27th of April saw the premiere of my new three - act opera And Then There Were None. This is my second opera, and the worlds first opera based on a story by Agatha Christie. The opera was commissioned by Haugesund Kammeropera and Haugesund Teater, directed by Morten Joachim Henriksen, with scenography by Gjermund Andresen.
The story is the quintessential horror crime story, with Christies original novel still being the best selling crime novel of all time. At the start of the opera a group of strangers are invited to an isolated island, when a storm hits. Very soon the guests start dying one by one, and they soon realise they are being hunted.
The libretto follows Christies play from 1939 quite closely, with only minor adjustments. Christies original language is the basis for the tone of the play, which is very humorous and light - at least in the first act. The music tries to mirror the tension of the situation, and often tries to enhance the contrast between mundane conversation (Would you like a drink? Whisky? Sherry?), and the highly dramatic and virtuosic medium opera can be. Hence, I often describe the style of the piece as self-ironic opera.
As the opera progresses and the bodies pile up, the tone turn darker, and the music turns more dramatic and less frivolous. The material is denser, and the use of pastiche elements from the first act is gone (almost). Some of the characters and their vocal parts go through drastic changes, while others seems not too affected by the terrifying situation they all of a sudden find themselves in.
"Criminally powerful Agatha Christie-opera: With the opera-crime presentation 'And Then There Were None'….
The ambitions are high, and the result is quite impressive….. The opera format intensifies the poignant atmosphere, but also amplifies the humor in the piece."
- Karen Frøsland Nystøyl, NRK