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        • Graeme Koehne

        • A Christmas Carol (2022)

        • Wise Music G. Schirmer Australia Pty Ltd (World)

        A Christmas Carol Composed by Graeme Koehne Libretto by Anna Goldsworthy Published by G. Schirmer Australian Pty Ltd, a division of the Wise Music Group Commissioned by Victorian Opera

        Commissioner exclusivity applies

        • S,Mz,A,T,Bar,B + choir; 2(II:pic).2.2.2/2.2.3.0/timp.2perc/hp/str
        • choir
        • Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass
        • 1 hr 40 min
        • Anna Goldsworthy
        • English

        Programme Note

        The spirit of the festive season will shine brightly in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge, the Ghosts of Christmas’ Past, Present, and Yet to Come, as well as Tiny Tim and the Cratchit Family, are transported from 19th century London to contemporary Australia in a sparkling reimagination of this timeless tale.

        Koehne's 100-minute score includes a sound world derived from a mix of influences as he recounts “I’ve got references to Christmas carols that cover several hundred years of musical tradition, I’ve got stylistic references to 1950s rock and roll, along with Victorian parlour songs, those sorts of things. It’s a polystylistic grab bag, but I think in the end it still retains an identity of its own and a coherence.” 

        Goldsworthy’s task was to capture today’s Australia without losing the story’s essence.“So with the Ghost of Christmas Present, the contemporary interpretation of him might not be this hedonistic, feasting Dionysian character he is in the book, but a kind of contemporary Australian interpretation. A hedonistic surfer dude. But the underlying message still comes through. It’s about the moment and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of eating at Christmas time.”
         
         
        Soprano - Ghost of Christmas Past, various minor roles
        Mezzo - Belle, Belinda Cratchit, various minor roles
        Alto - Various minor roles
        Tenor - Bob Cratchit, various minor roles
        Baritone - Scrooge
        Bass - Marley’s Ghost, Ghost of Christmas Present, various minor roles
         
         
        SATB Choir, with step out minor solos:
         
        Child soprano (Fan)
        Child soprano (Caroller)
        Child Soprano (Tiny Tim)
        Child alto (child Scrooge)
        Spoken (two boys playing cricket)
         

        Media

        Composer Graeme Koehne and librettist Anna Goldsworthy talk A Christmas Carol

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