The ''Brunel'' opera project is a collaboration between Matthew King (composer), Nye Parry (sound design) and Michael Irwin (libretto) to write a dramatic work based on the life and work of

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel ( ; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engi ...

. The opera was the subject of a special feature on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, broadcast in October 2003, and the project has been documented in detail in the book, ''The Reflective Conservatoire''. The opera remains a work in progress and has yet to be performed in its entirety. In October 2003, the critic, Martin Hoyle, wrote in

the Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

The musical excerpts (from Brunel) sounded immediately attractive, richer and more varied than the long littleness of Adams's ''Nixon in China'' or the arid wastes of Glass's ''Akhnaten'': characterised vocally and grateful to sing, unlike most modern operas.Martin Hoyle, ''Financial Times'', October 2003

The part of Brunel is sung by a tenor. There are choruses of labourers, critics, widows and ghosts. The orchestra is an ensemble of brass instruments, sometimes employed in a manner reminiscent of Brunel's contemporaries

Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

, sometimes imitating mysterious industrial sounds (such as the hiss of steam). The electronic score incorporates sampled industrial sounds which are sometimes "tuned" in order to fit the harmonic landscape of the music.

References

{{Brunel Operas Compositions by Matthew King