I found this a riveting eighty minutes as we watched the story of this anguished musician. Written and directed by Enda Walsh, this production brought us the Irish National Opera accompanied by Crash Ensemble working from the composition of Donnacha Dennehy.
The production makes full use of technology with a large screen backdrop onto which is projected the text messages of our 'hero'.
The story is complex but in a nutshell concerns the breakdown of Martin, the eponymous second violinist. Played by Aaron Monaghan, this character does not speak but observes the operatic trio of Matthew, his wife Amy and Amy's old friend Hannah. They seem to be at crossroads in their marriage and we are left to piece this as a stage in Martin's own life.
Adding to the complexity, we are told - by text - that Martin's favourite composer is Carlo Gesualdo. It is revealed by others on the internet that Gesualdo is the influence on Dennehy's score and also that his story is woven into the plot of the opera. Amongst other details, Gesualdo happened to murder his wife and her lover.
Frankly, this was a piece that needed a second viewing to capture all it had to offer and I hope I will get the chance to catch it again.
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