Belongings, an opera carried by young people at the Opéra Comédie de Montpellier

Plus de 80 chanteurs d’Opéra Junior sur le plateau pour l’opéra Belongings – Marc Ginot

Junior Opera performs "Belongings", an opera composed by  Scottish Lewis Murphy when he was 25 years old. Dealing with war and migrants through the prism of youth, it brings together more than 80 singers on stage.

"We always imagine classical music composers dead. And when they are alive rather old " says the conductor and director of the Junior Opera in Montpellier Jérôme Pillement. It is with the young group that he sets music for two evenings at the Opéra Comédie, Belongings, by the Scotsman Lewis Murphy. Far from clichés, the young composer created this opera when he was 25 years old. This is an element which can allow a more immediate connection to the work for the young singers brought together in Junior Opera. Another important element is that this opera was created for young people and it also features young protagonists. Enough to blend more easily into your role.

Migrants and war

It is important for Jérôme Pillement that Opéra Junior takes up current issues. Originally, Belongings, dealt with war and migrants through the prism of youth and across two periods. In 1940 with the trajectory of the Blitz refugees fleeing bombed London and that of the 2015 migrants crossing the Mediterranean. But a few years later, for its French adaptation, the subject broadened. We now need to talk about all the migrants forced to flee their conflict-affected countries. It’s Ukraine, it’s Gaza, Syria or even Indochina. What the characters experience can be transposed to all conflicts. "There is a station scene, a lesson scene, another where they write a letter to their parents, a scene where they argue, these scenes are common to all migrants" points out Benoît Bénichou, the director.

Two spaces and the video

Laura Attridge's libretto has been retained but the staging has been completely revised. The show transformed into a commemoration which took the form of a conference on peace with survivors of these wars. It takes place in front of the stage. The stage is separated in two by a tulle welcoming the video, and behind which the memories of the speakers also take shape. The soloists, who are in the foreground, constantly move back and forth between the present and the memory of their journey. A device which therefore plays on two temporalities. It's impossible to count the chairs that end up on the set, but it's over a hundred. They symbolize the barricades as much as the classrooms, and surround a large frame made up of photos of children, like "a wall of remembrance".
While there are around fifteen solo roles, "the chorus is very important" for Jérôme Pillement. In all, more than 80 young people aged 11 to 25 come together on stage during the hour of this tailor-made show. In the pit, few musicians. This small musical formation "allows young singers not to force" underlines the conductor. An opera to see with the family, from 9 years old.

Friday 19 and Saturday 20 April at 7 p.m. Opéra Comédie, Place de la Comédie. Price: 10 to 16 euros.

The score and how it is played

Born in 1992, Lewis Murphy was 25 years old when he composed the music for Belongings. This features a string quintet, a piano, a flute or even a clarinet and numerous percussion instruments. "Half the pit is filled with percussion" warns Jérôme Pillement. In the absence of brass instruments, the work explores finesse. "Even in the hopeful sequences, the music remains imbued with a certain nostalgia" specifies the conductor. A play "rich in emotion with touching moments", it includes many "small roles" allowing young adults as well as the smallest members of Junior Opera to participate. The score also provides numerous choral scenes allowing the choir to fully express themselves. "The group is important" summarizes Jérôme Pillement.