''The Second Mrs Kong'' is an opera in two acts, with music by Sir

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include '' T ...

to a libretto by

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American expatriate writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in ...

Glyndebourne Touring Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an annual list of opera festivals, opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England. History Under the supervision of the Christie family, the festival has been hel ...

first staged the opera on 24 October 1994. The cast included

Philip Langridge Philip Gordon Langridge (16 December 1939 – 5 March 2010)Millington (7 March 2010) was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio. Early life Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent, educ ...

Helen Field Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

and

Michael Chance Michael Chance CBE (born in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom 7 March 1955) is an English countertenor and the founder and Artistic Director of The Grange Festival. Chance was born in Penn, Buckinghamshire, into a musical family. After growing ...

. Tom Cairns designed and directed the production, in collaboration with choreographer Aletta Collins.

Elgar Howarth Elgar Howarth (born 4 November 1935), is an English conductor, composer and trumpeter. Biography Howarth was born at Cannock, Staffordshire. He was educated in the 1950s at Manchester University and the Royal Manchester College of Music (the ...

was the conductor. This production was recorded for the National Video Archive of Performance by the V&A Theatre Museum. This recording is available to view by appointment at the V&A Collections Centre and Reading Room in Olympia, London. The opera is a mix of ancient and modern mythologies as well as history. Jonathan Cross has commented that the work, "like so many of Birtwistle's operas....is concerned with mythology" and is more about "the idea of Kong" rather than King Kong as such. He has also analysed parallels between this work and Birtwistle's earlier opera ''The Mask of Orpheus''. Robert Adlington has critically discussed the relationship of the opera's music to the words. David Beard has examined in detail the relationship of various forms of images to the music and Birtwistle's and Hoban's collaboration. The second production of the opera took place in 1996 in Vienna. The London premiere of the work was in November 2004, as part of the 70th birthday concerts for Birtwistle.

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1

The setting is the World of Shadows, a realm of the dead where historical people and fictional characters can intermingle. Anubis transports the dead to the World of Shadows. The dead are permitted to relive selected moments from their past. One such moment is when Vermeer paints Pearl as the subject of his painting ''Girl with a Pearl Earring''. Pearl first learns of the existence of the mythical giant ape

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

after she hears his voice through the mirror that is in the room where Vermeer is painting. Kong himself is metaphysically trying to determine his identity while in denial of his own death. When he becomes aware of Pearl through the mirror, he becomes infatuated with her. Later in the Act, Pearl is residing in a "stockbroker's high-tech penthouse", and at one point sees an excerpt from the 1933 film of ''King Kong'' on television. Pearl decides to try to establish a connection with Kong. Kong determines to leave the World of Shadows to find Pearl in the World of the Living, with the help of Orpheus.

Act 2

Orpheus joins Kong in his quest as they leave the World of Shadows. Four female temptations assault them, and one severs Orpheus' head. At the entrance to the World of the Living, Kong and the Head of Orpheus ("all that remains") encounter the Sphinx, who challenges Kong. Kong passes the trial. Kong manages to contact Pearl by telephone, but Death of Kong, Kong's nemesis, attacks Kong, but Kong prevails in the fight. Kong and Pearl then try to meet and declare their love. However, they ultimately cannot touch each other.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Second Mrs Kong English-language operas Operas by Harrison Birtwistle Operas 1994 operas