"The Memoirs of Antonina": an opera in three acts
Project Information
"The Memoirs of Antonina" is a three-act opera by composer and librettist Mary Bichner, inspired by Marie Antoinette of France. Taking its name from a slanderous 18th-century tract about the queen’s rumored exploits and indiscretions, "The Memoirs of Antonina" focuses on the final two years of Marie Antoinette’s life, and pits two versions of the queen (performed by two different singers) against one another: the imagined breezy libertine derided by revolutionary pamphleteers, and the distraught historical figure determined to reclaim her reputation. The opera also sets the stylistic conventions of opera buffa against those of opera seria, resulting in a work that explores both the exasperatingly comic — and profoundly tragic — elements of Marie Antoinette’s story.
Musically, "The Memoirs of Antonina" is inspired by the classical works of 18th-century Europe, and will be scored for an orchestra of approximately 25-35 players including woodwinds, brass, percussion and string orchestra.
A first musical draft of the opera was completed in 2017-2019, with an "official" version completed in 2022-2024. Mary is currently at work on the opera's orchestrations.
The piano-and-vocal score for Act I of "The Memoirs of Antonina" (which can be performed as its own standalone arc/work) is now available; the piano score for Acts II and III, and the full orchestra score for the entire opera, are soon to follow. To obtain a copy of the libretto and/or score, please contact the composer at: info@marybichner.com
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Videos from “The Memoirs of Antonina” preview concert, which took place in September 2nd, 2018 at The Central Square Theater of Cambridge, MA, USA. Performed by Helen Zhibing Huang (Marie Antoinette), Emily Thorner (Antonina), Neal Ferreira (Louis XVI), Junhan Choi (Jacques Hébert), Tim Ribchester (music director), Emma Terrell (assistant music director), Porcelain Dalya (assistant stage director/actor), and Jesse Strachman, Michela Micalizio, and Ryan Huemmer (actors). Videos by Allthingsharmony / Brandon Johnson.
Song description and synopsis info can be found via the corresponding YouTube link for each piece (simply click on the video of your choice to be taken to the information page):
HIGHLIGHTS/CLIPS REEL:
INDIVIDUAL SONGS:
Contact INformation
For more information on "The Memoirs of Antonina", or to obtain a copy of the libretto and/or score (the piano-and-vocal score for Act I, which can be performed as its own standalone arc/work, is now available), please contact the composer at: info@marybichner.com
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