Hayes, Morgan - Opera for Violin and Piano

7 minutes

Opera, by the leading composer Morgan Hayes, takes its title from the 1987 film by the Italian director Dario Argento, famed for his work in the giallo horror genre. Though the story concerns a jinxed production of Verdi’s opera Macbeth, the intense, highly charged music relates less to the physical action than to the prowling camerawork, abrupt jump-cutting and other techniques that contribute to the heightened melodrama uniquely characteristic of Argento’s style.

Lasting about seven minutes, Opera has already been featured by several leading young violinists offering exciting new material in their recitals, and will be no less valued for its technical and interpretative challenges as a conservatoire test-piece at diploma level. A recording by Darragh Morgan and Mary Dullea was released on the prestigious NMC label.

1st perf: Ensemble Lonba, CETC at Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 15 March 2003
1st UK perf: Darragh Morgan (violin), Mary Dullea (piano), Bush Hall, London, 26 June 2003