Proving Up ploughs a somewhat different furrow. Both these works concern central characters who by any measure would be considered outsiders that there is something of a Brittenish streak in the undertow of Mazzoli and Vavrek’s stage work should therefore not be a surprise. Its Philadelphia premiere in 2016 attracted consistently stellar notices and in 2019 It received its first performance in Europe at that year’s Edinburgh Festival. This was followed by her hugely successful adaptation of Lars von Trier’s controversial 1996 Cannes Grand Prix winning film Breaking the Waves. Her first major work in this form was Song from the Uproar: the Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt (2012), which was inspired by the extraordinary life of the eponymous Swiss writer, explorer and free spirit. Over the last decade Mazzoli has forged a formidable reputation in the United States, and it is no exaggeration to suggest that across the pond her stature as an operatic composer in particular is akin to that enjoyed by Thomas Adès in the UK. This is the American Dream as it’s pithily summarised in a key line from the Karen Russell short story ‘Proving Up’, which Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek have adapted for this riveting and unsettling one act opera. “Proving up means you stand your ground, you win your title – a hundred and sixty acres go from public to private. April 2018, Ware House Productions, Omaha, USA International Contemporary Ensemble/Christopher Rountree Littler Zegner, Daughter - Cree Carrico (soprano) Taller Zegner, Daughter - Abigail Nims (mezzo-soprano) Mrs Johannes “Ma” Zegner - Talise Trevigne (soprano) Mr Johannes “Pa” Zegner - John Moore (baritone) Proving Up - opera to a libretto by Royce Vavrek based on a short story by Karen Russell. Support us financially by purchasing from

Proving up karen russell summary