A Shipwreck Opera in one act (2006)
Libretto by Aimee Bender
Instrumentation:
11 players (1111 0000 1 perc., cel., harp, 10111)
Duration: c. 45'
Synopsis:
A baby is shipwrecked by a tired ocean (Prologue), and raised by a tree. Being raised by a tree, she does not realize that she is mobile, and could leave the island. The tree, however, does see her mobility, and is no longer sure how to parent this young woman (Scene 1). The girl is seduced by the wind, who then causes some shipwrecks of his own by showing off for her (Scene 2). The shipwrecks bring forth a lumberjack who cuts down the tree and makes a raft, causing the young woman enormous distress and sadness (Scene 3). In a finale where the ocean, tree and wind sing to the young woman, she understands that she can leave the island, and takes off into the unknown (Scene 4).