The Scaffolding: Chamber Opera in Two Acts
Martin Halpern
About this work:
Freely based on Henrik Ibsen's play "The Master Builder," the opera's plot is packed with psychological and moral ambiguities. A famous aging architect is confronted by a mysterious young woman out of his past. Their encounter builds through a series of emotional twists and turns to a climax in which he is rejuvenated, but at the cost of his life. Over all the action hovers the question: has she come to save him, to destroy him, or both at the same time?
Cast: Hilde Vungel, 23 years old, soprano; Halvard Solness, 55 years old, baritone; Ragnar, 30 years old, tenor; Mrs. Solness, 45 years old, mezzo-soprano.
Setting: the Solness home in a Norwegian city, near the end of the 19th Century.
Version: Piano-Vocal Score, Act I
Year composed: 2005
Duration: 00:35:00
Ensemble type: Opera/Theater:Chamber Opera, Two or More Singers
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, ,1 Soprano soloist(s), ,1 Mezzo-Soprano soloist(s), 1 Tenor, 1 Baritone