University of York Music Press

The work is performed by musicians from the New Music Players and five outstanding young singers Edward Grint, Lucy Williams, Julian Podger, Emily Phillips and Andrew Radley. The opera is a story of lost love, ethical quandaries and betrayal which reflects on the French poet and film maker Jean Cocteau's interest in the Orpheus legend and explores the characters in his film Orphée. Live electronics and sophisticated video projection enhance the exciting collaboration with Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival. The composer Paul Robinson writes of the opera: Teeming with ideas and instrumental textures and at heart a lyrical composer's voice. In addition to the audio recording the set features a live concert performance from the 2012 Canterbury Festival, complete with the visual projections by Will Reynolds and also subtitled libretto. The DVD also includes the short film The Symptoms Of His Madness Were As Follows, which uses the music of Ed Hughes' Chamber Concerto No.1 from the Metier CD Dark Formations MSV 28530. The dual CD/DVD includes essays by Prof James Williams and Prof Michael Grover-Friedlander. The release format allows access in stereo or in 5.1. It is available from Metier(Divine Art) , Presto Classical or from Amazon

With a libretto by the distinguished crime novelist RN (Roger) Morris, this is an intriguing opera that resists reaching for easy harmonic comforts, but is by no means rebarbative in its musical garb. And there is no gainsaying the vocal skills of the persuasive soloists, notably the mezzo-soprano Lucy Williams, who characterises her role with conviction, ever-mindful of Morris's text. blockquote>

Please visit http://edhughes.org.uk/flame-opera or http://edhughes.org.uk/music/view/when-the-flame-dies-1?back=/music, for more information and video clips.