This July, Scottish Opera Young Company is presenting the world premiere of RED, a darkly comedic piece drawn from fairy tales by The Brothers Grimm, at the Company’s Production Studios in Glasgow.
An interwoven story of the four stages of women’s lives that often feature in folk tales, RED is by award-winning composer Karen MacIver, with a libretto by Scottish Opera’s Director of Outreach and Education, Jane Davidson MBE.
The conductor is Young Company’s Artistic Director Chris Gray, with Flora Emily Thomson (Maud & Down in the Valley 2023 and As The Seasons Turn 2022) returning to direct the 14 young performers aged between 17 to 21. Set and costume designs are by Finlay McLay.
RED is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White and Hansel & Gretel, and features aspects of the ages of unnamed female figures — girl, maiden, mother, crone — that often appear in these famous stories. The 70-minute opera examines the circular, metamorphic nature of these tales as well as experiences shared by generations of women across time through magical realism.
Karen MacIver (above) and Jane Davidson said: ‘RED is an exploration of the some of the key defining characteristics of the female protagonist in stories – bringing the tradition from its beginnings in folk tales and right up to contemporary interpretations.
‘Women are judged by a different set of values, and many still face the unenviable choices of relationships (family) versus personal aspiration. In more recent times, the medium of stage and film – and of music composed for these– has gained dominance in terms of how we experience storytelling.
‘Stephen Sondheim and Bernard Herrmann are masters in the art of musically driven plots. Their works have greatly influenced the score, not only in the musical choices made, but also as a guiding light for compelling storytelling in terms of the landscape of sound.
‘Literary influences include Margaret Atwood, whose beautifully concise, darkly humorous style, with twists and turns at the most unexpected of moments, we have tried to capture in the libretto.
‘Working within the parameters of four short acts drove the need for a musical score that describes the plot every bit as much as the words. Interspersed throughout are strands of magical realism, lending an everyday quality to the more outrageous aspects of the story arc that we are confident most of the audience will recognise.
‘So, throw in some chatty crockery, firefighters with a nice line in barbershop singing, some 1980s shoulder padded glamour, a wolf that needs therapy and you might just get a sense of what to expect.’
Director Flora Emily Thomson said: ‘I’m so excited to be working with the Young Company again to bring to life RED.
“Karen MacIver and Jane Davidson’s intricate and charged piece is brimming with possibilities, compelling us to consider the relationship between women, power and patriarchy across a lifetime, and the shifts and sacrifices needed to navigate these.
“As we follow our protagonist through her ages, our ensemble uses dynamic and sensory movement to build her worlds and destroy them, constantly moving the goal posts and manipulating the parameters of her world.
“Taking place on a striking and stark, angular set, prepare to experience some of society’s oldest tales in a thoroughly modern way.’
Scottish Opera Young Company offers young singers a unique and practical introduction to the world of opera and the chance to develop their talent through a year-long programme, working with a range of music professionals.
For many of the singers, it is the first step towards building a career in the arts, and gives them the opportunity to perform music written especially for young voices.
Tickets for RED, which is supported by Scottish Opera’s Education Angels and The Rose Fund, are available to buy now from www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/red