The Navigator is an opera by Liza Lim to a libretto by Patricia Sykes. The work had its world premiere at the Judith Wright Arts Centre as part of the Brisbane Festival 2008 on 30 July 2008.[1] It lasts for about 100 minutes without an interval.

The work was developed during Lim's stay in 2007/2008 in Berlin; on 9 March 2008, excerpts were performed with the ELISION ensemble conducted by Simon Hewett at the MaerzMusik Festival, part of the Berliner Festspiele.[2][3]

Theme

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The Navigator evokes stories from the great Indian epic Mahabharata and the romance of Tristan und Isolde, in its telling of how people risk everything in journeying towards unity and/or transformation, questioning the contingency of living only one life in one world.

— from the program notes:[1]

Roles

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Roles, voice types, premiere cast and creatives
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 30 July 2008
Conductor: Manuel Nawri
The Beloved soprano Talise Trevigne
The Navigator countertenor Andrew Watts
The Fool baritone Omar Ebrahim
Angel of History soprano Deborah Kayser
The Crone bass-baritone Philip Larson
Recorder soloist Genevieve Lacey
Orchestra ELISION Ensemble
Director Barrie Kosky
Set design Barrie Kosky and Alice Babidge
Costume design Alice Babidge
Lighting design Damien Cooper
Sound design Michael Hewes

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Navigator". Brisbane Festival. 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
  2. ^ "Liza Lim Portrait". Berliner Festspiele / MaerzMusik. 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
  3. ^ Shineberg, Susan (18 March 2008). "No sitting on the fence for our musicians in Berlin". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2008.