Lessons in Love and Violence

Premiered in 2018, the 90-minute opera Lessons in Love and Violence delves into the dark and turbulent events of Edward II’s life and death. The opera unfolds as a taut slow-burning arch of seven tableaux. This work boasts particularly rich string textures and spectacular ensemble writing. The music’s relationship to the drama is often unstable and seemingly very spontaneous, but beneath it all one senses a rigorous architecture, unflinchingly guiding the listener deeper and deeper into the opera’s disquieting emotional world. This full score is a perfect accompaniment to the previously published vocal score and text.