Alice's Adventures Under Ground

Gerald Barry’s new opera is based on Lewis Carroll’s two beloved books, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. As with Barry’s last opera, the lauded The Importance of Being Earnest, the composer has created the libretto himself from the author’s original texts. Thus, the work remains faithful to many aspects of the Alice story but is trimmed and compressed into a compact 70-minute opera in one act. Barry’s characteristic highspeed energy and riotous sense of humour propel the action forward in this surreal plunge into the depths of Wonderland.

instrumentation: 2(1.pic, 2.pic & afl).2(2.ca)1.bcl.2(2.cbsn)-2.2.1.1-timp-3perc(chimes, mar, b.d., 2 windmachines)-str(8.6.4.4.2 minimum)

occupation: Alice · soprano - The Red Queen/The Queen of Hearts/The Duchess/The Mock Turtle/Passenger 1/Oyster 1 · mezzo soprano - The White Queen/Dormouse/Tiger Lilly/The Mock Turtle/The Cook/Passenger 2/Oyster 2 · alto - The White King/The White Rabbit/The Mad Hatter/Tweedledum/Frog Footman/Fawn/Bottle 1/Cake 2/Baby 1/Passenger 3/Daisy 1 · tenor - The March Hare/Tweedledee/Fish Footman/Guard/Messenger/Bottle 2/Cake 1/Baby 2/Passenger 4/Daisy 2 · tenor - The White Knight/The Cheshire Cat/Soldier/Bottle 3/Cake 3/Baby 3/Oyster 3/Passenger 5/Daisy 3 · baritone - Humpty Dumpty/The King of Hearts/The Red Knight/Bottle 4/Cake 4/Baby 4/Oyster 4/Passenger 6/Daisy 4 · bass

Commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Gustavo Dudamel, Music Director, The Barbican Centre, London and Britten Sinfonia