Opera ''Sonya's Story'' is an operatic setting of text from Anton Chekhov's play ''Uncle Vanya'' presenting the debut collaboration of Neal Thornton as Composer and Musical Director, Sally Burgess as Director and Charles Phu as Designer, with art assistance by Philippe Devaud and choreographer Simon Rice. Its world premiere performances are for Tete-a-tete: The Opera Festival 2010.
It is the world’s first opera adapted from Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya, focused on the unique and little-told perspectives of Sofya Alexandrovna Serebryakov (Sonya), Vanya's niece, on what happens around her during the summer, how she sees the circumstances she is in, and what she believes eternally.
Sonya responds to events one tragic summer as the stresses of her life in pre-Revolution Russia come to a head. "Sonya's Story" is a one act opera, a melodic score for 2 opera singers and chamber orchestra. A musical psycho-drama focussing on Sonya's character which is revealed very effectively in a musical setting.
Sonya’s story is shown through the disturbance to her humdrum life created by her father and stepmother’s stay for the summer at the estate. How her infatuation with/ love for Doctor Astrov is stirred up by his frequent visits, brought on by his interest in her beautiful young stepmother; her father’s confrontation and shooting incident with Vanya, and the subsequent return to a resigned normality but with her awareness that acceptance can bring peace.
Future plans include extending Sonya's Story to a full evening's operatic performance by adding a first act portraying Yelena's story (Uncle Vanya seen from Yelena's perspective) in text and music that complements that of Sonya's Story. The whole creating a time lapsed build up of the characters and events in Uncle Vanya.
Composer Neal Thornton: These performances represent Neal Thornton's operatic debut. As arranger and composer he has produced three albums with Sally Burgess and three stage shows including
Something Wonderful ( a Richard Rodgers centenary tribute with orchestra and chorus ) for Opera North and English National Opera , and
Harold Arlen – who? for the Barbican, and with Willard White,
A tribute to Paul Robeson, a stage show also broadcast
by the BBC and released on CD.
Director Sally Burgess: These performances present another operatic world premiere for director, Sally Burgess. She directed the much acclaimed premiere of Ula here last August which represented her directorial debut. More recently her production of Cosi fan Tutte for English Chamber Opera earned equal acclaim " .... Sally Burgess's brilliant production. The question must be, now that this distinguished international singer has turned her attention to directing, what next? I hope she has even greater forces to command, and I'll certainly be there. " Alison Truefitt. Musical Pointers.
Designer Charles Phu: These performances represent Charles Phu's UK operatic debut. Previously designing operas in the USA and Asia, he is an architect and designer currently practicing in London, responsible for a number of landmark building designs around the world including the controversial 400-meter Okhta Centre, Okhta Concert Hall, Modern Art Museum and Opera House in St Petersburg, Russia; the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Florida, USA; and Beijing’s China World Trade Center Tower III.