David Almond’s award-winning novel, Skellig, has taken wing as an opera. American composer Tod Machover tells David Whetstone what drew him to the book.

Oct 28 2008 by David Whetstone, The Journal

One of the most eagerly awaited cultural events of the year is the world premiere of Skellig, the opera, at The Sage Gateshead.

The tale by North East writer David Almond has worked its magic as a book and a stage play since it was published to critical acclaim a decade ago. An overdue film version is in production.

But an opera? It is likely that even the author hadn’t thought of this as a potential medium for his tale of young Michael, friend Mina and the mysterious and rather grotty old man – or creature – they find living in the garage of Michael’s new home.

So how did it happen? And if it is to become an opera, how come a story born in the North East has been set to music by a composer from the United States?

Tod Machover, who lives near Boston, has a distinguished career as a teacher and composer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He made his name as an innovator in computer music and is known for his experimental ‘hyperinstruments’ such as a computerised violin and cello.

His first opera, Valis, which was premiered in 1987, was based on a science fiction story by Philip K Dick (as was Ridley Scott’s epic film, Bladerunner). Valis stands for Vast Active Living Intelligent System.

In 1996 he followed up with Brain Opera, an interactive musical composition featuring contributions from on-line participants and live audience members.

No wonder his next operatic project, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel Resurrection, raised some eyebrows. Although electronic music was included in the score, a 19th Century love story seemed conventional territory for someone drawn to technology’s cutting edge.

Now, some nine years after Resurrection, the American has turned his attention to Skellig, a children’s story written in Newcastle but with proven universal appeal.

On the line from Boston, Tod says the Skellig opera – deemed suitable for people aged eight and over – owes its existence to Resurrection which was premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 1999.

The director of Resurrection was Braham Murray, best known as the founding artistic director of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. Tod had met him through a mutual friend, the American Kent Nagano, then principal conductor of Manchester’s Halle Orchestra.

He recalls: “When I did Resurrection, Kent said, ‘There’s a fantastic director here and he’s really unusual’. I came over to meet him. So Kent put the two of us together and we worked on Resurrection and it was a wonderful experience. It was the first opera he’d done and ever since then we’ve wanted to work together on something else.

“We talked about various things. A lot of people, when they want to do an opera, go to plays, but I’ve always gone to novels because I think if you find the right one, they have a very clear sense of story.

“A lot of what makes a novel so wonderful is that you can see into the thoughts of the characters and you can translate that into music with a great deal of freedom.

“Braham said a book had landed on his desk and it was an absolute gem and perfect for an opera. I’ve a pretty good nose for what brings out the music in me and when I read this book, it leapt out. Braham then got in touch with David. I don’t think he’d ever thought of it as an opera but he’s a fantastic human being, a wonderful guy, and he said, ‘Great, let’s talk about it’.”

The trio spent three days at David’s house near Hexham and the project started to take shape, with David offering to write the libretto (or words) and Braham as director.

Skellig, says Tod, is a special book. In common with Resurrection, he suggests, it deals with the issue of what it means to have hope and to be willing to make a change in the world when things appear tough and the odds stacked against you.

“I like the fact that the book is so lean and sparse and understated,” enthuses Tod.

“Another thing is that it has something to do with sound and with listening. Skellig says, ‘Listen; listen more carefully’.”

The composer read and dutifully listened, hearing as much as visualising the story unfold.

The musical forces mustered for his telling of Skellig will include an orchestra of 25 traditional instruments.

He adds: “One of the reasons I was drawn to technology when I was a teenager is that I’ve always heard sounds that conventional instruments aren’t supposed to play. They are the sounds that seem to exist in between what you can hear on conventional instruments.

“In Skellig the electronic sounds will have the role of that other world which isn’t quite the everyday world of Michael and Mina but is where the character of Skellig comes from.”

Tod’s youthful chorus, too, will add to the otherworldly nature of the piece, making sounds that voices are not usually required to make in an opera.

The composer, his voice laden with enthusiasm and anticipation, says: “I don’t know if all composers are like this, but it’s very hard for me to say what this will all sound like to other people.

“What I’m pleased about with this is that I think it’s an interesting mix.”

He stresses that his aim with Skellig was to make it appeal on “a pretty immediate level”, despite its apparent complexities.

“I hope people will just like the melodies but I also hope that the way the music is balanced, and the places it takes you to, will get under your skin.”

Skellig, a highlight of Juice, the NewcastleGateshead Festival for Children and Young People, is in Hall One of The Sage Gateshead on November 24 and 25 and 27-29 at 7pm. Box office: (0191) 443-4661.