Last week I finished revising the vocal score for my opera “Music and the Brain” (formerly known as “After the Fall”). The story is inspired by Oliver Sacks´ book Musicophilia where he, through various case studies, discusses how brain injury can affect musical experience in various and peculiar ways. The first, experimental, version of the piece was premiered in London in 2017 (more here). This revised version will be premiered in Salurinn music hall in Kópavogur, Iceland this March by tenor Gunnar Guðbjörnsson, soprano Þórgunnur Anna Örnólfsdóttir, flautist Helen Whitaker, Antonía Hevesí on piano, and myself on electronics (more here). The words are by Rebecca Hurst.
The picture below was taken by tenor Gunnar Guðbjörnsson with the new score sitting on his (very active) desk. Next step for me is to finish the electronic music score whilst the singers learn the notes.
The summary: Music and the Brain addresses, in both words and music, the neurological and emotional effects that music can have on us. It tells the story of opera singer Eva, whose successful career has been cut short by an accident. The resulting brain injury has caused her to lose the ability to comprehend music and perform. She is treated by the Doctor, who hopes that this case will redeem him in the eyes of the academic community. As they both grapple with trying to understand Eva’s condition, questions regarding the nature of music arise. But the Doctor is nearly out of time, his big presentation is coming up.
