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
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 Unpublished PhD thesis.
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