Anon

ANON was created for the Welsh National Opera based on Puccini’s opera Manon Lescaut which itself drew on a 1731 novella by Abbé Antoine Francois Prévost. The original text was problematic due to the absence of Manon herself – her presence was simply as an object of male desire. The creation of ANON was driven by the need to make the voices of women today central to the opera. Achieving this with authenticity required a process of exchange, first with groups of girls from Newman University and Tipton Academy, and then with three sex workers whose participation was facilitated through Birmingham’s Safe Project. The exchange with the women was deeply unsettling and led to the decision to request permission to use their words in the opera. Although the participants wished to remain anonymous, they were happy for their stories to be told. This was especially resonant as the intended audience was young people who were facing related issues and life decisions on a daily basis. The opera’s musical sources reflected a key concern – how to draw freely from rich musical traditions as well as contemporary manifestations. In ANON, this included devices and techniques from baroque, modern, contemporary classical music, contemporary club music, as well as a variety of song forms conveying the diversity of the world around us. The structure was designed to avoid the sentimentality of many opera narratives; the several short scenes which made up the work were designed to instead ask the audience to consider situations rather than identities. So those who are so often anonymous were simply called Girl 1, Girl 2 and Girl 3, Actor 1 and Actor 2. The work toured in the UK and USA, sparking debate and interviews and articles.

ANON – New opera for Welsh National Opera

ANON is made up of several short scenes where the audience is encouraged to consider the situation rather than the precise identity of the protagonists (who are simply called Girl 1, Girl 2 and Girl 3, Actor 1 and Actor 2), hence the title of the opera. We all could find ourselves in any of the situations depicted. Furthermore, although it is possible to trace a narrative through-­line, this too is deliberately disrupted and made opaque.
ANON is for three sopranos and two female actors. The scoring is for piano/keyboards, cello and percussion”.
Errollyn Wallen