Appendix 3 – Other Related Works
Throughout the whole time frame of the PhD I was conscious to allow the reflections and learnings from all of my artistic activities relating to opera creation and performance, to influence the subsequent work I produced. The impact of the COVID restrictions right at the beginning of my data collection stage also meant that I had to seek to broaden the kind of work I was producing, so as to be able to work within the lockdown restrictions. This meant that I became involved in some projects which will not be used as key case studies in this PhD, but which nevertheless contributed greatly to the ongoing development of my method and understanding of the efficacy of my creative process and aims.
AP 3.1 Entanglement: An Entropic Tale
This work was created prior to the PhD, during my Masters in Vocal performance from September 2017 - April 2018. This opera encompasses a large amount of the physics from the 20th and 21st centuries, from quantum entanglement, to black holes, to gravitational waves. Creating this work began my journey towards this research. This preface from our 1st edition of the score and libretto states my intentions in creating the work and shows the beginning of my explorations into the ideas presented in this PhD:
Having spent so much time planning and waiting for an opportunity to leave the world of science and begin a life of music I soon began to realise that it was not going to be quite so easy to leave the beautiful realm of physics and philosophy behind me. Luckily for me I met Daniel Blanco Albert on a warm summer evening at a bonfire by a lake. Having ascertained that we both liked theatre and we both liked science I promptly asked if he would be interested to write a non-naturalistic opera about physics. Dani's enthusiasm and excitement for the project enabled me to tie all the loose ends together in my mind to begin to create "Entanglement! An Entropic Tale".
Putting the story together was easy. It became clear to me that these concepts were not just confined to the realms of Maths and Science, and that they were related to things that philosophers and theologians had been discussing for centuries (if not more). The inspiring thought that this story might even help to connect science deeper to philosophy in a way not normally discussed spurred on the decision to develop this libretto. Are matter and antimatter an expression of yin and yang? Can our struggle for the understanding of free will be calmed by a knowledge of quantum mechanics? Does the way in which we conduct scientific enquiry mean we will be forever trapped in the logical pathways of our own mind? I was never able to answer such questions yet through the writing, producing and performing of this opera I have come to a much deeper acceptance of my ignorance, and have been reminded how much fun can be had, not in understanding, but just through asking the questions. (Infinite Opera, 2018: v):
It is a 90’ opera written for 3 soprano, 1 mezzo, 1 bass and an ensemble of piano, violin. viola, cello, clarinet, flute and trumpet. This opera illustrates the anthropomorphic qualities of the physics in the characters during the opera. The original idea was to create a structure similar to a baroque opera, and the libretto was set out in this way. I also made use of mythological narrative. In this work the particles were equivalent to humans and the laws and forces equivalent to gods. Below I have inserted some sections from the libretto to illustrate how the characters act as physics, humans and gods.
Example 1: Electron’s Aria: Act 1 scene 1 (Infinite Opera, 2018: xi)
Aria
Electron: Ah!
I was a part of all these things
A cat, a flower, a star and more
But still I have not found a way
To feel grounded at my core
Entropy please help me see
Through all this negativity
Ah!
This empty endless shade I surf
Or perhaps I am this sea’s white horse?
I always wondered if it’s real
That everything is me of course
I’d live without duality
To generate a certainty
In the aria above we can see Electron struggling with its identity (due to its quantum existence). There are references throughout the poem to the properties of an electron (e.g. negativity, grounding, wave-particle duality, the one electron theory). The question of identity is something most people struggle with throughout their lives and is often related to feelings of anxiety and insecurity. This electron is initially presented in this state due to the properties of subatomic particles.
Example 2: Positron decides to save electron from the black hole: act 1, scene 2. (Infinite Opera, 2018: xiv)
Recitative
Positron:
Electron! You have left me here!
Millenia may pass before you return and to you no time atall (crumpling to the floor)
Ah! Am I doomed to live this half-life?
(Triumphantly taking a heroic stance)
Even as my constitution squares I will accelerate towards your dying light.
Entropy:
But what is this I see?
Strange! Charm! I call you to arms!
Come here! Why are you so lazy?
Ah but you make me proud.
Blackhole has Electron now, but will not always.
(snarling)
Though Positron flies with direction and hope one slip and both are gone forever!
They feel they live in chaos … but I will still show them how determined their lives can be!
Gravity, Electron and Positron:
Aaaah Ooooh Aaah Nooooooooooo
Entropy:
Stop watching it.
You’re never going to see it happen!
Ugh fools!
In the recitative above positron describes the inevitable time difference that will happen due to general relativity. It is also in this moment that Positron becomes heroic and even references to the speed of light (Even as My Constitution SQUAREs). The Positron, as an entangled antiparticle, is able to feel the opposite of everything the electron experiences. As the electron grows more anxious the Positron becomes more certain.
AP 3.1.a The Introduction of the Narrator
As a creative practitioner I went through several cycles of development with this work although as I had not begun focusing on research they were not as thorough as the work done in this PhD. The most recent of these was the performance of this piece in November 2019 at the Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester. This was a concert performance rather than fully staged which allowed us to focus more fully on the nuances of the music and text, without having to worry about stage directions. For this performance I added the characters of two mad scientists, who would narrate the whole story as they watched the path of an electron in their laboratory. The reason for this was that opera as a form can be alien to a lot of audiences. Without some kind of go-between from the audience to the performance, I worry that I will lose some people’s interest or understanding in the alienation of both the physics and the operatic soundscape. I wanted something there to reassure the audience that they have successfully followed the narrative and that they do not need to worry or feel anxious about their own ability to understand the more complex aspects of the subjects being presented. The short narration, which fits in between scenes, was as follows:
Entanglement! Mad Scientist Narration
End of Overture:
Pah! Entropy you say?
Look at me! A wondrous bag of organised thought and activity.
I could stop Entropy with a single thought.
You don’t scare me - Baron Entropy
Ooh I forgot to switch off my gas ioniser . . . I don’t want too many loose electrons bobbing about!
End of Scene 1:
I knew it - the electrons themselves don’t even know what they are! But what have I just seen? An existential and excited electron trying to touch its Positron pair. Doesn’t it realise how foolish that is?
And now the Positron has sent it off to a black hole. I shall be interested to observe what happens there!
End of Scene 2:
Poor Positron. Pure panic and pain!
All it can see is the infinite red glow of the electron’s trail.
But Gravity and its spaghettification is a sight to behold.
Baron Entropy must feel annoyed. Now there is one less particle to take part in the chaos.
End of Scene 3:
This all seems quite familiar to me. Learning more about yourself through ghostly visions? And so near to Christmas too?
In any case I’d better hurry up and find the Graviton or this poor Electron might be searching in vain.
End of Scene 4:
I didn’t realise that such a Deus Ex Machina could occur in real life!
It seems these entangled particles are cleverer than I am at communicating through time and space.
And that horrible Entropy. All life seems to be gone. It is indeed the end of the world as we know it.
AP 3.1.b Reflections and feedback from Leicester
This proved successful with our audience, and greatly added to the performance, allowing the non-physicists to feel as part of the show and as engaged with its story, as the physics experts in the audience. A subsequent Facebook comment posted on the Infinite Opera page can be seen below. The outcome from the questionnaire can also be seen in this table below.
The success of the narrator in easing the flow of the narrative, and engaging more directly with the audience is a plot device and character voice that I then decided to take further and explore in other for subsequent work. This was something I had been considering to use for some time prior to the PhD, in order to help the audience to integrate themselves with the science. The use of a different type of voice to the sung operatic quality is useful in providing that gradient between the more easily understood voice of theatre in plays and musicals, and the slightly more obtuse and extended sounds of the words in opera. It also provides some space in the work where the audience can take in a bit more of what they have just experienced theatrically. In this case in Leicester I made explicit use of the narrator in a rather self-conscious and tongue in cheek manner. Having two men walk onto the stage posturing as the stereotypical scientist and declaring the absurdity of what we are seeing on stage served as a useful tool to remind the audience that even though this is an opera, and a great deal of skilled work and preparation has gone into the performance, we are still aware as creators and performers that the work we are presenting has many elements of the absurd and ironic about it.