The Tale of Januarie

rdf:langString The Tale of Januarie

rdf:langString The Tale of Januarie is a full-length opera in four acts, completed by composer Julian Philips and writer Stephen Plaice in 2016-17, based on The Merchant's Tale from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The work was commissioned and created for the Opera Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, creatively developed during 2016, and then premiered at the Guildhall School's Silk Street Theatre on 27 February 2017 with a run of four performances. This premiere production was conducted by Dominic Wheeler, directed by Martin Lloyd-Evans with designer Dick Bird and lighting designer Mark Jonathan. The Tale of Januarie was the first opera conceived in Chaucerian Middle English, with writer Stephen Plaice not only adapting the text of Chaucer's original tale and incorporating material from other Chaucer works, but also creating entirely new Middle English texts. Julian Philips's score is conceived for 12 soloists and chorus, large symphony orchestra and on-stage musicians; the opera has a running time of 2 hours 10 minutes, and is published by Edition Peters. The Tale of Januarie is dedicated with affection and gratitude to Professor Sir Barry Ife CBE FKC FBbk HonFRAM FRCM, Principal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (2004-2017).