The Martyrdom of St Magnus is a chamber opera

Chamber opera

Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...

 in one act (with nine scenes) by the British composer Peter Maxwell Davies

Peter Maxwell Davies

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...

. The libretto

Libretto

A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...

, by Davies himself, is based on the novel Magnus

Magnus (novel)

Magnus is a novel by the Orcadian author George Mackay Brown. His second novel, it was published in 1973. it is a fictional account of the life and execution of the twelfth century Saint, Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney.-Plot introduction:...

by George Mackay Brown

George Mackay Brown

George Mackay Brown , was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist, whose work has a distinctly Orcadian character...

. The opera was first performed in St. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall

Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...

, Orkney on 18 June 1977.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 18 June 1977 (Conductor: Peter Maxwell Davies)
Earl Magnus/Prisoner	tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...	Neil Mackie Neil Mackie Neil Mackie CBE, CStJ, FRSE, FRCM, FRSAMD is a Scottish classical tenor and Professor at the Royal Academy of Music. During his 30 year international career as a singer, he was closely associated with the works of 20th century composers, particularly Benjamin Britten, and Peter Maxwell Davies...
Norse Herald/Litolf/Keeper of the Loom	baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...	Brian Rayner Cook
Welsh Herald/Tempter	baritone	Michael Rippon
Earl Hakon/Officer	bass	Jan Comboy
Blind Mary	mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...	Mary Thomas

Synopsis

The opera tells the story of Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney

Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney

Saint Magnus, Earl Magnus Erlendsson of Orkney, sometimes known as Magnus the Martyr, was the first Earl of Orkney to bear that name, and ruled from 1108 to about 1115...

, who became a Christian saint and martyr. The nine scenes are entitled: 1.The Battle of Menai Strait

Menai Strait

The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...

; 2.The Temptations of Magnus; 3.The Curse of Blind Mary; 4.The Peace Parley; 5.Magnus's Journey to the Isle of Egilsay; 6.Earl Hakon plots to murder Magnus; 7.The Reporters; 8.The Sacrifice; 9.The Miracle.

Sources

• The Viking Opera Guide ed. Holden (1993)
• Amadeus Online