Gypsy Bible
From: Monday, 25th October 2010
To: Monday, 25 October 2010
Our Review: 
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Synopsis
Making a violin isn’t easy: it takes 400 years of love, murder and the devil’s whim. Weaving together tales from across Europe, this new folk opera is told through wild gypsy rhythms and a kaleidoscopic array of virtuosic playing. Whether made from the bones of a young woman or the strange alchemy of the violin-maker’s craft, the old magic and wanton science surrounding the fiddle are brought to life in story and song.
Our Review:
26 October 2010
The Gypsy Bible fuses folk music and opera in gory tales about the power of the violin. The mixture is uneasy. Opera singers accustomed to vocal perfection are uncomfortable with the rough-edged plainsong of folk music.
Writer Alasdair Middleton does not romanticise the subject but uses elements from fairy tales and the tarot to describe the instrument’s origins in blood, guts and squandered souls. True to the folk music genre Middleton includes murder ballads and tales of doomed lovers but his ornate turn of phrase occasionally gets a bit much.
Director Catherine Alexander struggles to develop a coherent storyline from the fragmented stories. Setting the scene in a violin workshop instead of, say, an inn where folk tales are usually told, gives the opportunity to describe the methods used to produce violins but lacks atmosphere. The movement of characters in the background add little to the scene and at times become a ...
Creative
Joe Townsend (Music)
Alasdair Middleton (Lyrics)
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