What is it about a good book that captures our imagination? From clever foxes and doomed friendships to whaling ships and dystopian regimes, some of the most unlikely stories have leapt off the page and onto the opera stage. Here are a few literary classics that, against all odds, hit all the right notes.
Candide
Voltaire’s biting 1759 novella Candide was adapted into a satirical operetta by Leonard Bernstein. The story follows a naïve young man, Candide, whose tutor, Dr Pangloss, teaches him that they live in the ‘best of all possible worlds’. After being exiled from his home, Candide embarks on a chaotic global journey, surviving war, shipwreck and religious persecution, slowly concluding (like the rest of us) that the world really isn’t all it's cracked up to be. But so long as we cultivate our own garden and ‘do the best we know’ (as poignantly sung in Make Our Garden Grow), we can make the best out of life.
While the original production wasn’t an overnight success, the release of the cast album, the multiple reworks and Bernstein’s memorable soundtrack eventually made Candide a cult-classic, much loved by audiences to this day.
Fantastic Mr Fox
Based on Roald Dahl’s 1970 children’s novel, the opera tells the story of Mr Fox, a clever thief who raids the farms of three cruel farmers, Boggis, Bunce and Bean (aptly cast as a bass, tenor and baritone) to feed his family, and while the farmers try and dig him out, Mr Fox enlists the help of his animal neighbours and devises a grand underground feast. Commissioned by Dahl’s estate, and composed by Tobias Picker, the opera premiered at Los Angeles Opera and has since been performed in various formats, including outdoor and chamber versions; the opera even won a Grammy in 2020.
1984
This adaption of Orwell’s dystopian classic was commissioned by the Bavarian State Opera and premiered at London’s Royal House. The plot, similar to the book, follows Winston Smith, a worker in the Ministry of Truth, who secretly rebels against the totalitarian regime of Big Brother. He enters a forbidden romance and attempts to escape from the state’s control, only to be betrayed and reprogrammed. The opera preserves Orwell’s grim vision and is notable for reversing some of the more typical operatic norms (such as casting Winston as a baritone and antagonist O’Brien as a tenor).
Of Mice and Men
A title a little too familiar to our nation’s GCSE students. Steinbeck’s Depression-era novella was adapted into an American opera by composer Carlisle Floyd. The story focusses on George and Lennie, two migrant workers searching for stability. Lennie, who has a development disability, unintentionally causes trouble whenever they go, culminating in a tragic ending. The opera closely mirrors the book’s plot and tone, using music rooted in folk and blues traditions. Premiered at Seattle Opera, it’s one of the most performed contemporary American operas.
Moby Dick
Commissioned in 2005 by Dallas Opera, Melville’s classic maritime epic was adapted into a large-scale opera by Jack Heggie. Set aboard the whaling ship Pequod, the opera follows the story of Captain Ahab’s obsessive hunt for the white whale that maimed him. The narrative is seen partly through the eyes of Ishmael, the lone survivor. Heggie’s adaptation uses sweeping orchestration and some incredible nautical staging. Ahab is cast as a dramatic tenor and the opera captures both metaphysical and physical battles at sea. It premiered in Dallas and has since been staged globally.
Feeling inspired?
Experience the best of all possible worlds in our upcoming production of Candide. See it live in Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff 17 - 21 September, before it goes on tour to Southampton, Llandudno and Bristol.
