Young person's guide to the opera


The colourful ghosts are coming to Snape this weekend. And no, it is not The Turn of the Screw. A new opera commissioned by Aldeburgh Music tells of magic and mayhem on city streets. The composer is a woman, the director is English-Iranian, the score mixes acoustic and amplified electronic sounds, the text is by an award-winning children's author, the conductor is a woman, the production uses a sound designer, the cast includes local teenagers with no previous stage experience, the premiere is at the end of the mid-term school break, the performances include a schools' matinee, and tickets for under 27s are just £5.

Tarantula in Petrol Blue is composed by Aldeburgh alumna Anna Meredith. The director is Bijan Sheibani, the text is by Philip Ridley, the conductor is Jessica Cottis and sound design is by Sound Intermedia. Performances are Feb 21 and Feb 22, with the schools' premiere on Feb 24. Listen to a four minute excerpt from Anna Meredith's score here. Remember, Benjamin Britten showed how everybody can make music.

* Feb 23 - review of Tarantula in Petrol Blue here.


We have bought four tickets for Tarantula in Petrol Blue. Two of our party are under 27, watch this space. Header photo of colourful ghosts is (c) On An Overgrown Path 2009. It has a musical connection, the street art was created by young skate-boarders in the public area under London's Royal Festival Hall. By the time you read this the artwork will probably have been sprayed over - true indeterminacy . Lower image is the official poster for Tarantula in Petrol Blue, which may just be the least exciting thing about this vibrant new project. Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

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