Music and Libretto by Andy Vores

A king, a queen and...an upside down army? Guerilla Opera gets wild in this period parody attacking the amorality and depravity of the rich, privileged, and powerful. Adapted from the play by Henry Carey and “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold.

Title: Chrononhotonthologos a chamber opera

Composer: Andy Vores

Libretto: Adapted from the play by Henry Carey and from “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold by Andy Vores

Duration: 80min

Instrumentation: sop, mezzo, ct, ten, bari, + 3 or more voices; cls + bass harmonica, sopranino/alto/ten sax, vln + bass harmonica, perc, + 3 or more pitched instruments, electronics

Status: Active, Available for touring/co-productions

(This opera was commissioned specifically as an opera we could produce with other arts organizations in collaboration with their young artist fostering artist exchange and immersed in our unique performance practice.)

PRESS

“Thanks to the enterprising Guerilla Opera for commissioning a terrific new opera by Andy Vores, “Chrononhotonthologos,” a deliciously inventive musical version of an 18th century political farce by Henry Carey, which ends with Vores’ beautiful and stirring setting of Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach” … musically it was a knockout.” WBUR

“Every year for the past decade, Guerilla Opera has brought fresh new works to the stage, and each has been vivid in its own way. But Chrononhotonthologos is perhaps the company’s best-sung and most entertaining work to date.” BOSTON CLASSICAL REVIEW

“Making a virtue of the minimal staging and limited means of rendering action, the stage designers took many creative risks.” BOSTON MUSICAL INTELLIGENCER

HISTORY

01/14-02/14/2021 - Encore viewing of live world premiere performance on Guerilla Opera’s Encore Series via the Sparrow Live platform.

05/31/2017 - Partial performance at Guerilla Opera’s 10th Anniversary Celebration at OBERON in Cambridge, MA.

11/3/2017 - World premiere performance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, 132 Ipswich Street. Directed by Nicholas O’Leary. Three performances.

1/14/2021 - Encore presentation as a Watch Party via Sparrow Live.

Originating Ensemble & Design Team: Jonas Budris (King Chrononhotonthologos/Poet/Ensemble), Aliana de la Guardia (Queen Fadladinida/Ensemble), Britt Brown (Tatlanthe/Ensemble), Brian Church (General Bombardinian/Rigdum Funnidos/Ensemble), Bryan Pollock (Aldoborontiphoscophornio/Ensemble), Charlotte Jackson (P.S.C. ‘18)* (Captain of the Guard.King of the Fiddlers/King of Antipodes/Cook/Ensemble), Rose Hegele (M.M. ‘18)* (1st Lady of the Court/Venus/Doctor/Ensemble), Julia Kornick (B.M. ‘19)* (2nd Lady of the Court/Cupid/Herald/Ensemble), Amy Advocat (Clarinets/Bass Harmonica), Philipp A. Stäudlin (Saxophones), Nicole Parks (Violin/Bass Harmonica), Mike Williams (Percussion), Alex Norkey (G.P.D. ‘19)* (Violin/Satellite Ensemble), Brianna Tagliaferro (M.M. ‘19)* (Cello/Satellite Ensemble), Zhiming Liu* (Tenor Saxophone/Satellite Ensemble), Nick O’Leary (Stage Director), Julia Noulin-Mérat (Production Designer), Keithlyn Parkman (Lighting Designer), Mark Pearson (Costume Designer).

(Commissioned for and produced by Guerilla Opera in partnership with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.)

TOURING INFO

Director: Nick O’Leary

Production Design: Julia Noulin-Mérat

Lighting Design: Keithlyn Parkman

Costume Design: Mark Pearson

Performers: 8 singers (minimum), 6 instrumentalists (minimum), plus sound.

Sound Requirements: Laptop and electronic playback.

Theater Requirements: Proscenium or 3/4 Thrust

ABOUT THE OPERA

Chronohotonthologos is a world premiere opera commissioned by Guerilla Opera. The libretto is based on the absurdist, satirical play by Henry Carey from 1734. An example of English nonsense verse, it uses nonsense words as substitutes to perhaps mock public figures of its era as well as the high theater from which it takes its form. It parodies the high-blown style of revenge tragedies and operatic libretti, while attacking the amorality and depravity of the rich, privileged, and powerful. It is sung in English and will be approximately 75 minutes in duration.

This opera marks the second collaboration between Guerilla Opera and composer Andy Vores, following his operatic adaptation of Jean Paul Sartre’s “No Exit,” the second work Guerilla Opera premiered. “No Exit” is the most performed work from our cannon having received fully staged productions by both Florida Grand Opera and Chicago Opera Vanguard.

Guerilla Opera has always been interested in ongoing collaborations—developing multiple operas by one composer with the understanding that these long term associations result in a shared musical and theatrical language. Andy Vores has been a part of Guerilla Opera from its inception. He is an exceptional composer with a truly rare musical wit as well as an innate gift for the lyric theater.

ABOUT THE COMPOSER

Andy Vores was born Wales and raised in England. He studied at Lancaster University with Edward Cowie. From 1982 working as Composer-in-Residence at The City University, London. In 1986 he was a Fellow in Composition at Tanglewood. He has lived in Boston since 1990. From 1999 to 2001 he was Composer-in-Residence to the BankBoston Celebrity Series, and 2002 to 2005 Composer-in-Residence to the New England Philharmonic. From 2001 until 2016 he taught at The Boston Conservatory where he was Chair of Composition, Theory, and Music History.

Commissions include Freshwater (The Boston University Opera Institute), Wetherby Nocturne for Kathleen Supové (The Barlow Endowment), Quartet No.3 for The Borromeo String Quartet (Chamber Music America), World Wheel for The Cantata Singers, Umberhulk for Boston Musica Viva, and Uncertainty Is Beautiful for the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Awards include a Koussevitsky Fellowship, the Kucyna International Composition Competition, the Scottish National Orchestra Ian Whyte Award, the Tanglewood Prize for Composition, the Omaha Symphony Guild New Music Contest, and the Huddersfield Festival.

CONTACT

Collaboration/Artist Exchange inquiries please contact Aliana de la Guardia. Tour inquiries and/or to receive a tech rider contact Keithlyn Parkman. Perusal score and licencing please contact Andy Vores