The Rape of the Lock (1714) is a timeless, exquisite work of poetry by the Augustan British Poet Laureate, Alexander Pope. A young lord snipped a lock of hair without permission from a young lady and their families would not speak to each other.  To laugh them together Pope, at the height of his early rise to fame, immortalized the proto-feud in language unsurpassed even by Shakespeare.

The rage of Belinda at the theft of her lock, which represents the free will and dignity of women, is compared to the mighty rage of Achilles.  Yet Belinda, being intelligent, sophisticated and humorous, takes revenge by satirizing her tormentor, bringing him down as David did to Goliath, with a tiny object, here, a pinch of snuff.  Refusing to play the victim, Belinda's lock “assumpts” to become a new star.  This poem is needed today as a model of beautiful language, and as a fable for young people not to tolerate any force in the treatment of women during courtship or any other time. 

The music is inspired by Purcell and modernized by jazz-inflected rhythms and harmonies.  There remains 20 minutes of the draft and all the parts and reductions necessary for a premiere.

 

  Our conductor, Ransom Wilson, a cover conductor at The Metropolitan Opera, saw the music samples and said “Your opera is GORGEOUS count me in!”  It is indeed meant to be enjoyed by anyone. Our 18C expert, Professor Jack Lynch will coordinate seminars at Rutgers and Yale.  It's a very large project, the poem is famous and a staple of English literature, and fun to sing.

 

I welcome any suggestions about gathering a few groups to do a simultaneous premiere!

Many thanks,

Deborah Mason  914-462-0280