n
Bruce Mather, music | Renald Tremblay, libretto (from Rilke)| Guy Beausoleil, stage direction | Michelle Héon, stage design and costumes | Claude Cournoyer, lighting | Jacques-Lee Pelletier, make-up
Pauline Vaillancourt, soprano | Yolande Parent, coloratura | Michel Ducharme, bass | David Doane, baritone
Éthel Guéret, coloratura (reprise)
Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), Lorraine Vaillancourt, conductor
World premiere
Feb. 3, 4, 5, 1994, Monument-National, Montreal
Reprise
April 4, 1998, Monument-National, Montreal
This was theatre that worked on all levels… the total engagement of all participants made this the very acme of musical theatre.
– Alan Horgan, The Globe and Mail (Canada), April 6, 1998
Since entering into a loveless marriage eleven years ago, the princess is now alone for the first time. All her life she has waited for this moment: at last she will be able to be with the one she loves.
Alone on the shore, the princess hears the sound of oars and prepares to call out to her lover as he approaches. Just then, she spots four hooded men who seem to be waiting for her to give them a sign. She doesn’t dare move, and in an instant, hope turns to condemnation: by the time the men leave, it’s too late. Her lover one has also gone, never to return.
