English Eccentrics
Music by Malcolm Williamson
English Eccentrics is a chamber opera in two acts by Malcolm Williamson to an English libretto by Geoffrey Dunn, based on Edith Sitwell's 1933 book, The English Eccentrics. It was commissioned by the English Opera Group. The opera requires the cast to make many quick changes of roles between scenes, and contrives the confrontation of several of the characters, who did not meet in real life.
Text from the Wikipedia article "English Eccentrics (opera)", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson, (21 November 1931 – 2 March 2003) was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death. According to Grove Music Online, although Williamson's earlier compositions aligned with Serialist techniques, "he later modified his approach to composition in the search of a more inclusive musical language that was fundamentally tonal and, above all, lyrical. In the 1960s, he was commonly referred to as the most often commissioned composer in Britain, and over his lifetime he produced more than 250 works in a wide variety of genres."
Text from the Wikipedia article "Malcolm Williamson", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.