Director appeals for funds to revive long-forgotten Catholic opera
A company is seeking to bring The Lost Sheep, a tale of adultery and redemption, to London for the first time
A fundraising appeal is being launched for a long-forgotten Catholic opera created in 1920s Paris.
The Lost Sheep, by Catholic playwright Francis Jammes and composer Darius Milhaud, is expected to receive its UK premiere in London in December.
The love story depicts a couple living out family life in Bearn, France. The wife runs away with her true love, to Burgos, only to embark on a journey of redemption and return to her husband.
A company, Another Opera, is hoping to put on the production in December in the Crypt of St Pancras Parish church, London.
But the company still needs to raise £8,000. This would go mainly towards the orchestra, singers, stage and lighting for the fringe production.
The opera’s composer, Darius Milhaud, was a member of Les Six – a subgroup of the 1920s Paris art scene – which included Jean Cocteau. His art form has been described as a musical form of Cubism.
Francis Jammes was a devout poet and playwright who was close to Paul Claudel and Stéphane Mallarmé.
The Lost Sheep was originally written by Jammes in a simple, rough-hewn style, in reaction to the sophistry of Symbolists like Jean Cocteau. Russell Plow’s new orchestration of Darius Milhaud’s score was approved by Milhaud’s late wife.
Please contact Russell Plows, The Lost Sheep’s director, to find out more: director@anotheropera.com.
