The Rape of Lucretia
The Rape of Lucretia is an opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Ronald Duncan, after the play by André Obey.
Contents
The original text
The story is set in Rome in 500BC. Lucretia, the wife of the Roman general Collatinus, is assaulted at home by the prince Tarquinius while her husband is away. The following day, Lucretia – traumatised and destroyed by what has happened to her – commits suicide. The action is framed by two choruses, who are looking back from a later era.
The first performance was on 12 July 1946 at Glyndebourne Opera House.
Translations and adaptations
Performance history in South Africa
1990: Presented by CAPAB Opera (28 July – 5 August)
Sources
'The Rape of Lucretia'. Britten Pears Arts. https://brittenpearsarts.org/music/the-rape-of-lucretia
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 Unpublished PhD thesis.
Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
