| Lessons in Love and Violence | |
|---|---|
| Opera by George Benjamin | |
| Librettist | Martin Crimp |
| Language | English |
| Based on | story of King Edward II and Piers Gaveston |
| Premiere | |
Lessons in Love and Violence is an opera with music by George Benjamin and libretto by Martin Crimp. The opera, which is based on the story of King Edward II and Piers Gaveston, was premiered at the Royal Opera House London on 10 May 2018, conducted by the composer and directed by Katie Mitchell. The opera was a co-production with Dutch National Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Opéra de Lyon, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, and Teatro Real, Madrid. [1]
The opera covers the events set out in Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II , which combines the story of Edward and Gaveston (who was murdered in 1312), with the deposition of Edward II by Mortimer (1327) and the overthrow of Mortimer and Edward's queen Isabella of France by Edward III (1330). [2]
The opera is in two parts, of four and three scenes respectively, and is performed without a break. [3] King Edward is not referred to by name, only as 'the King'. Similarly his wife Queen Isabella is referred to simply as Isabel, and his son, later Edward III, is listed as 'Boy, later Young King'. Both Gaveston and Edward's nemesis Mortimer are named.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 10 May 2018 [1] (Conductor: George Benjamin) |
|---|---|---|
| King | baritone | Stéphane Degout |
| Isabel | soprano | Barbara Hannigan |
| Gaveston / Stranger | baritone | Gyula Orendt |
| Mortimer | tenor | Peter Hoare |
| Boy / Young King | tenor | Samuel Boden |
| Girl | silent | Ocean Barrington-Cook |
| Witness 1 / Singer 1 / Woman 1 | soprano | Jennifer France |
| Witness 2 / Singer 2 / Woman 2 | mezzo-soprano | Krisztina Szabó |
| Witness 3 / Madman | bass-baritone | Andri Björn Róbertsson |
Scene 1. Mortimer criticizes the King's obsession with his lover, Gaveston, at a time when his people are suffering from war and starvation. The King strips Mortimer of his wealth and lands.
Scene 2. Mortimer impresses on Isabel the King's dereliction of his duties by confronting her with representatives of the suffering people. She agrees to support Mortimer's campaign against Gaveston.
Scene 3. Gaveston is arrested during an entertainment at the King's residence.
Scene 4. The King rejects Isabel when he hears of Gaveston's death.
Scene 1. Isabel is now living with Mortimer. They instruct the King's son to assert his royalty by presenting him with a madman who believes that he himself is the true King.
Scene 2. The King is in prison. Mortimer persuades him to abdicate. Death, in the guise of Gaveston, claims the King.
Scene 3. The King's son, having succeeded to the throne, rejects Isabel and arranges the death of Mortimer.
The opera received a positive reception in the British press, with some reservations. The review in The Guardian commented: "[D]espite the care that has so clearly gone into every aspect of the production, it often seems to be the orchestral music that is really in charge of the drama, as if the usual priorities of opera have been reversed. In the end the terrible story becomes the excuse for some striking music rather than being driven along by it." [4] The critic in the Daily Telegraph commented that he "left Covent Garden impressed rather than excited or moved. For all the refinements, Benjamin and Crimp haven’t moved on from Written on Skin [their previous opera] so much as shuffled the cards to play the same game." [5] The Stage however praised the opera: "George Benjamin’s new work on the subject of Edward II once again shows his operatic mastery." [6]
Edward II, also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to the throne following the death of his elder brother Alphonso. Beginning in 1300, Edward accompanied his father on invasions of Scotland. In 1306, he was knighted in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Following his father's death, Edward succeeded to the throne in 1307. He married Isabella, the daughter of the powerful King Philip IV of France, in 1308, as part of a long-running effort to resolve "tensions" between the English and French crowns.
Isabella of France, sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France, was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre. Isabella was notable in her lifetime for her diplomatic skills, intelligence, and beauty. She overthrew her husband, becoming a "femme fatale" figure in plays and literature over the years, usually portrayed as a beautiful but cruel and manipulative figure.
Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England.
Sir George William John Benjamin, CBE is an English composer of contemporary classical music. He is also a conductor, pianist and teacher. He is well known for operas Into the Little Hill (2006), Written on Skin (2009–2012) and Lessons in Love and Violence (2015–2017)—all with librettos by Martin Crimp. In 2019, critics at The Guardian ranked Written on Skin as the second best work of the 21st-century.
Edmund Fitzalan, 2nd Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman prominent in the conflict between King Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard Fitzalan, 1st Earl of Arundel, died in 1302, while Edmund was still a minor. He therefore became a ward of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, and married Warenne's granddaughter, Alice. In 1306 he was styled Earl of Arundel, and served under Edward I in the Scottish Wars, for which he was richly rewarded.
Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, 1st Earl of March, was an English nobleman and powerful Marcher Lord who gained many estates in the Welsh Marches and Ireland following his advantageous marriage to the wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, 2nd Baroness Geneville.
Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, whose seat was Arundel Castle in Sussex, was the sixth son of King Edward I of England, and the second by his second wife Margaret of France, and was a younger half-brother of King Edward II. Edward I had intended to make substantial grants of land to Edmund, but when the king died in 1307, Edward II refused to respect his father's intentions, mainly due to his favouritism towards Piers Gaveston. Edmund remained loyal to his brother, and in 1321 he was created Earl of Kent. He played an important part in Edward's administration as diplomat and military commander and in 1321–22 helped suppress a rebellion.
The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, with the Tragical Fall of Proud Mortimer, known as Edward II, is a Renaissance or early modern period play written by Christopher Marlowe. It is one of the earliest English history plays, and focuses on the relationship between King Edward II of England and Piers Gaveston, and Edward's murder on the orders of Roger Mortimer.
Edward II is a 1991 British romantic historical drama film directed by Derek Jarman and starring Steven Waddington, Tilda Swinton and Andrew Tiernan. It is based on the play of the same name by Christopher Marlowe. The plot revolves around Edward II of England's infatuation with Piers Gaveston, which proves to be the downfall of both of them, thanks to the machinations of Roger Mortimer.
Hugh le Despenser, sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being captured by forces loyal to Sir Roger Mortimer and Edward’s wife, Queen Isabella, who were leading a rebellion against Edward, he was hanged and then beheaded.
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser, also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. He rose to national prominence as royal chamberlain and a favourite of Edward II of England. Despenser made many enemies amongst the nobility of England. After the overthrow of Edward, he was eventually charged with high treason and ultimately hanged, drawn and quartered.
Martin Andrew Crimp is a British playwright.
Edward II of England has been portrayed in popular culture a number of times.
Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk was a 14th-century Marcher lord, notable for his opposition to Edward II of England during the Despenser War.
Isabella de Beaumont, was a prominent noblewoman allied to Isabella of France during the reign of Edward II of England.
The Despenser War (1321–22) was a baronial revolt against Edward II of England led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun. The rebellion was fuelled by opposition to Hugh Despenser the Younger, the royal favourite. After the rebels' summer campaign of 1321, Edward was able to take advantage of a temporary peace to rally more support and a successful winter campaign in southern Wales, culminating in royal victory at the Battle of Boroughbridge in the north of England in March 1322. Edward's response to victory was his increasingly harsh rule until his fall from power in 1326.
Written on Skin is an opera by the British composer George Benjamin.
Isabella of France was Queen of England and the daughter of Philip IV of France. Sometimes called the "She-Wolf of France", she was a key figure in the rebellion which deposed her husband, Edward II of England, in favor of their eldest son Edward III. This event, as well as Isabella's affair with Roger Mortimer and Edward II's relationships with Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser the Younger, have prompted Isabella's portrayal multiple times in literature and visual media.
The Parliament of 1327, which sat at the Palace of Westminster between 7 January and 9 March 1327, was instrumental in the transfer of the English Crown from King Edward II to his son, Edward III. Edward II had become increasingly unpopular with the English nobility due to the excessive influence of unpopular court favourites, the patronage he accorded them, and his perceived ill-treatment of the nobility. By 1325, even his wife, Queen Isabella, despised him. Towards the end of the year, she took the young Edward to her native France, where she entered into an alliance with the powerful and wealthy nobleman Roger Mortimer, who her husband previously had exiled. The following year, they invaded England to depose Edward II. Almost immediately, the King's resistance was beset by betrayal, and he eventually abandoned London and fled west, probably to raise an army in Wales or Ireland. He was soon captured and imprisoned.
Peter Hoare is a British tenor, best known for his performances on the opera stage.
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