Music Theatre Wales will stage the UK première of The Killing Flower (Luci mie traditrici), a contemporary opera inspired by the life of the murderous 16th century composer Carlo Gesualdo, at Buxton Festival on Tuesday (16 July).
The Killing Flower, sung in English for the first time, will be presented in a double bill with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’s Eight Songs for a Mad King which features a virtuoso performance by Welsh baritone Kelvin Thomas.
Music Theatre Wales co-artistic director Michael McCarthy directs both pieces.
The Killing Flower, by Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino, has been translated by Kit Hesketh-Harvey who worked closely with the composer.
MTW’s co-artistic director and music director Michael Rafferty conducts a 20-strong Music Theatre Wales ensemble.
The cast of four includes baritone George Humphreys as the duke, soprano Amanda Forbes as the duchess, countertenor William Towers as the guest/lover and tenor Michael Bennett as the servant.
Both The Killing Flower and Eight Songs for a Mad King will be recorded at Buxton by BBC Radio 3 for broadcast in August.