Sacred Bones
Sacred Bones is a one-act opera composed by Roelof Temmingh (1946–2012) with a libretto by Michael Williams.
Contents
The original text
Set in the African bush, Sacred Bones is a passionate meditation on love and betrayal.The libretto revolves around a palaeontological expedition group that visits a female farmer who had been raped and whose husband had been killed during a farm attack.
Translations and adaptations
Performance history in South Africa
1997: Presented by CAPAB Opera (14–28 June) at the Nico Malan Theatre and at the National Arts Festival, directed by Fred Abrahamse. Performed by John Eagar, Fikile Mvinjelwa, baritones; Gordon Christie, tenor; Isabelle van Zyl, mezzo-soprano; Marita Napier, soprano with David Tidboald, conductor and members of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. Set design by Peter Cazalet, lighting by Malcolm Hurrell. Choreography by David Krugel.
Sources
Wayne Muller. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis.
Ivan Meredith. 2006. 'Opera in South Africa during the first democratic decade'. Unpublished Masters thesis. University of Cape Town.
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