One Day, Two Dawns

WINNER OF THE RPS Music Award 2009

THE LOST LAND

I asked the wise woman: 'When was the first eclipse?'She didn't know, but she told me a riddle instead:

'Ask the wise child whose tears can't drown its eyes, whose breath can't dry its lips, whose heart knows the dance of the ocean but can't feel the great wind's whip.'

I searched. I travelled lands and seas and skies,but couldn't find the wise child whose tears can't drown its eyes.

I asked the wise man: 'When was the first eclipse?'He didn't know, but repeated a riddle instead:

'Ask the wise child whose tears can't drown its eyes, whose breath can't dry its lips, whose heart knows the dance of the ocean but can't feel the great wind's whip.

'I searched. I travelled far and high and low,then in a dream the sea sang outwhere corn once used to grow:

'I am Lyonesse, the wise child, whose tears can't drown my eyes, whose breath can't dry my lips, whose heart knows the dance of the ocean but can't feel the great wind's whip.

'I asked the wise child: 'When was the first eclipse?'This song came back from the depths: 'When the whole world's heart knew the oceans' dances, hadn't felt the great wind's whip.

ONE DAY, TWO DAWNS was a new full-length community opera created with nearly 250 people in Cornwall in 2008/2009. Six months of creative workshops led to two performances at Hall for Cornwall on Wednesday 20th May 2009. The opera was a major collaboration between English Touring Opera and Hall for Cornwall, and includes partnerships with The Works, Cumpas, Duchy Opera, New Cornwall Opera, Dalla, Imerys Male Voice Choir, Cornwall Youth Dance Company, Access Theatre, Falmouth University, as well as Poltair, Whitemoor and Curnow Schools.

The story was inspired by the coincidence between the sinking of Lyonesse into the sea in 1099, and the full solar eclipse visible in Cornwall in 1999. Trevelyan was the sole survivor of the cataclysm 900 years ago: he returns to take part in some contemporary Cornish battles. Participants were part of an exciting creative process leading to two final performances. Almost all the music and words were created by participants working with a professional team. The nine participating groups were be involved in a series of creative workshops prior to May 2009. About 90 workshops in all were being delivered by ETO/HfC

The professional creative team of composers, directors, writers, designers, players, and singers came from both Cornwall and across the UK. Artists include composers Rachel Leach, Hilary Coleman and Neil Davey, writer Elaine Ruth White, director Tim Yealland and designers Alan and Jude Munden. Soloists included Joe Shovelton as Trevelyan, Bianca Phillips as Isobel, and Rachel Peters and Tim Carleston as the developers.