Dr Dee: An English Opera is an opera created by theatre director Rufus Norris and musician and composer Damon Albarn. Its debut performance was at the Palace Theatre, Manchester in July 2011, as part of the 2011 Manchester International Festival. [1] The opera is based on the life of John Dee, medical and scientific advisor to Elizabeth I. [2]
Damon Albarn became associated with the Manchester International Festival through a 2006 concert production by his band Gorillaz, Demon Days Live , a 2007 Chinese opera, Monkey: Journey to the West , and a 2009 immersive theatre production, It Felt Like a Kiss , for which he wrote music. [3] [4]
An opera titled Doctor Dee was originally planned as a collaboration between Albarn, Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett and comic book author Alan Moore. [5] According to Moore, he was approached by Albarn and Hewlett to collaborate on an opera featuring superheroes, but instead he suggested John Dee as a subject. He withdrew from the project when expected contributions from Albarn and Hewlett to his magazine Dodgem Logic failed to materialise. [6] Moore is credited for "inspiration" in the opera's official programme [7] and his incomplete libretto was published in Strange Attractor magazine. [8]
Dr Dee ran from 1 to 9 July 2011 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. It was commissioned by the Manchester International Festival, English National Opera and the London 2012 Festival. [9] It was subsequently performed from 26 June to 7 July 2012 at the London Coliseum, as part of the London 2012 Festival. [10]
The opera was scored for a band combining Elizabethan English instruments (viola da gamba, shawm, dulcian, crumhorn, recorder, lute) with the African kora and the distinctive drumming of Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen. Damon Albarn played acoustic guitar and harmonium and sang on a number of songs. A twenty-piece conventional orchestra was provided by the BBC Philharmonic and conducted by André de Ridder. [9]
John Dee, a non-singing part, was played by Bertie Carvel. Dee's wife, Katherine, was played by Anna Dennis. Francis Walsingham was played by Steven Page. Edward Kelley was played by Christopher Robson, whose singing was described as "sublime" by Albarn. [9] [11]
The Guardian gave the Manchester production four stars, saying that it "reaches to the heart of the tragedy of an overreaching intellect destroyed by a deal with a second-rate Mephistopheles". [12] The Independent also awarded four stars, saying that the production was "mostly a triumph, but the opening dumb show and final song don't work". [13] Rupert Christiansen in The Daily Telegraph gave the same star-rating, describing the opera as "fresh, original and heartfelt". [14] The NME described it as "visually sumptuous and musically haunting". [15]
| Dr Dee | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 7 May 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:05 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Producer | Damon Albarn | |||
| Damon Albarn chronology | ||||
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| Damon Albarn solo chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Classic Rock |   [17] |
All tracks are written by Damon Albarn
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Golden Dawn" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Apple Carts" | 2:37 |
| 3. | "O Spirit, Animate Us" | 3:48 |
| 4. | "The Moon Exalted" | 5:43 |
| 5. | "A Man of England" | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Saturn" | 2:05 |
| 7. | "Coronation" | 1:10 |
| 8. | "The Marvelous Dream" | 2:23 |
| 9. | "A Prayer" | 1:33 |
| 10. | "Edward Kelley" | 3:29 |
| 11. | "Preparation" | 3:01 |
| 12. | "9 Point Star" | 1:33 |
| 13. | "Temptation Comes in the Afternoon" | 2:05 |
| 14. | "Watching the Fire that Waltzed Away" | 2:37 |
| 15. | "Moon (Interlude)" | 0:29 |
| 16. | "Cathedrals" | 3:01 |
| 17. | "Tree of Beauty" | 2:00 |
| 18. | "The Dancing King" | 3:24 |
| Total length: | 48:05 | |
Gorillaz are an English virtual band created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle and Russel Hobbs (drums). Their universe is presented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz's music has featured collaborations with a wide range of featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor.
Damon Albarn is an English musician. He is the frontman and main lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz.
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is a British artist, comic book creator, illustrator, creative director, music video director, and songwriter. He is the co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl with Alan Martin and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz, alongside Blur frontman Damon Albarn.
Morgan Daniel Nicholls is an English musician, member of English pop band Senseless Things and best known for performing with Muse, Gorillaz, The Streets and Lily Allen. He has released one solo album under the mononym Morgan.
The Manchester International Festival is a biennial international arts festival, with a specific focus on original new work, held in the English city of Manchester and run by Factory International. The festival is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021. MIF23 will take place in summer 2023. The organisation is based in Blackfriars House, adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge but is due to move to a new £110 million new home, Factory International, in 2023.
Monkey: Journey to the West is a stage adaptation of the 16th century novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-Zheng along with British musician Damon Albarn and British artist Jamie Hewlett.
Demon Strings are a British stringed instrument group. They are best known for being the in-house string section for musician Damon Albarn, having recorded and performed live for several of his projects including The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Gorillaz, Blur and Monkey: Journey to the West.
Journey to the West is the soundtrack to the stage musical Monkey: Journey to the West and is composed by English musician Damon Albarn with the UK Chinese Ensemble. The soundtrack is based upon the musical, but is not a direct recording of it. The album was released as a download, CD, and double vinyl LP in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2008 by XL Recordings. In the United States, the album was released a day later as a download, while a CD was released on 23 September 2008.
Rufus Norris is a British theatre and film director, who is currently the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre.
Plastic Beach is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called Carousel, the album was recorded from June 2008 to November 2009, and was produced primarily by group co-creator Damon Albarn. It features guest appearances by such artists as Snoop Dogg, Gruff Rhys, De La Soul, Bobby Womack, Mos Def, Lou Reed, Mark E. Smith, Bashy, Kano, and Little Dragon.
The Fall is the fourth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was announced on 20 December 2010 and released as a download for members of the Gorillaz fan club on 25 December 2010. This was followed by a wider physical release of the album on 19 April 2011.
André de Ridder is a German conductor of classical music based in Freiburg im Breisgau and working all over the world.
Humanz is the fifth studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 28 April 2017 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Warner Bros. Records. The album was announced on the band's official Instagram page on 23 March 2017. According to a press release, it was recorded in London, Paris, New York City, Chicago, and Jamaica, and was produced by The Twilite Tone and Remi Kabaka Jr. It was the band's first studio album since 2010's The Fall, and features collaborations with Jehnny Beth, Grace Jones, Kali Uchis, Vince Staples, Popcaan, D.R.A.M., Anthony Hamilton, De La Soul, Danny Brown, Kelela, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, and Benjamin Clementine.
Gorillaz Live was the first concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their self-titled debut album.
Demon Days Live was a limited concert tour performed by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their second studio album Demon Days. Demon Days Live consisted of two residencies, with five shows played at the Manchester Opera House in England, and another five played at New York City's Apollo Theater. The Manchester residency was later released onto DVD as Demon Days: Live at the Manchester Opera House. One of the New York shows was broadcast on MHD as Gorillaz: Live in Harlem. The Manchester Opera House film was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film.
"Tranz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 14 September 2018 with a music video as the sixth and final single from their sixth studio album, The Now Now. On 28 September 2018, a remix of the song by British electronic musician Poté was released. The song charted at #16 on the Billboard's Hot Rock Songs.
The Good, the Bad & the Queen were an English art rock supergroup composed of singer Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, bassist Paul Simonon of the Clash, guitarist Simon Tong of the Verve, and drummer Tony Allen. They released their self-titled debut album in 2007. Their second album, Merrie Land, coproduced with Tony Visconti, was released in 2018. They disbanded in 2019, and Allen died in 2020.
"How Far?" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring Tony Allen and Skepta. The track was released on 2 May 2020 without any prior announcement as the fourth single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. It is part of the Song Machine project, a web series involving the ongoing release of various Gorillaz singles and music videos featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020, though it is not considered an official episode of the series. The single marks the first posthumously released material featuring Tony Allen, as well as the final song to be recorded during Allen's lifetime.
"The Valley of the Pagans" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz featuring Beck. The track was released on 5 November 2020 as the ninth and final single for Gorillaz' seventh studio album, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez, and the eighth episode of the Song Machine project, a web series which involves the ongoing release of various Gorillaz tracks featuring different guest musicians over the course of 2020.
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