1/What is the opera about?

URSA MINOR is a story about grief, family, transition, and radical empathy. On the edge of a dark forest, Arthur is heartbroken over the loss of his dog and enraged at his parents, Callie and Diana, who are trying to sugarcoat her death. Arthur runs away into the woods, where he finds a young bear cub who is struggling to comprehend a terrible loss of its own. Amidst the shadowy trees, where anything and everything is possible, the two must come to terms with their shifting sense of self and a harrowing decision must be made – as Arthur’s mothers get closer to finding them.

2/Where does the story come from?

ALEXIA: URSA MINOR came from a short story I wrote several years ago. When Zyggy and I began to flesh it out as an opera, it was like peeling back the layers of an onion to see what was beneath; we discovered nuances that had only been hinted at before. Our desire to explore what empathy means, particularly for characters of different ages, was a driving force, but we also loved the metaphors for growth, transition and acceptance that the story offered us.

ZYGGY: For me, the driving impetus of URSA MINOR is radical empathy – using 'radical' in its etymological definition – meaning 'from the root'. I’m reminded of the Thomas Nagel paper ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’ (1974), and the inherent subjectivity of experience. For me, everything in this opera – the people, the animals (our bear cub), the forest itself – I treated them all as conscious. Throw in a smattering of psychological horror and the grim (literally) nature of Grimm fairy tales, and you have the foundation upon which I built URSA MINOR’s musicality.

3/What has informed the musicality of the piece?

ZYGGY: One of the first things Alexia and I did musically was create a mixtape for Arthur’s teenage-hood, full of angsty nu-metal anthems that I listened to when I was a teenager. While I didn’t overtly quote any of these bands (with the exception of Linkin Park, subtly) — so many of Arthur’s moments flirt with this sound world, with the nu-metal and alternative metal that filled my teenage years.

I feel like there’s something so metal about opera already, both in music and in subject matter. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch for fans of bands like Iron Maiden, Slipknot, or heavier bands like Converge to find resonance in Wozzeck or Salome, or some of George Benjamin’s operas. I guess something I’ve channelled with the sound world of URSA MINOR is trying to find a way to do both: create a sound world that resonates with fans of opera, while also paying homage to bands like Linkin Park, System of a Down, and Deftones, that were so influential for me when I was Arthur’s age.

ALEXIA: For me, the forest of our opera is the source of the music, where fear, passion, grief and transformation play out. I think Zyggy has found really effective ways of layering those emotions in with the beauty and breathtaking cruelty of nature. 

4/How have you managed the collaborative process of the Opera Makers course? Is it easier writing in isolation?

ALEXIA: The word collaboration often suggests people working on something together all the time, joined at the hip, in sync with every step, which is a harmonious idea but not accurate. I can’t write in a room with another person and I think if I had been there the entire time Zyggy was writing the score, I would have driven them crazy. For me, what really counts in a collaboration is that roles are clearly defined, that trust is built and maintained, and that communication is clear and consistent. 

ZYGGY: Much of my collaborative practice before Opera Makers has stemmed from devised experimental theatre — where everything is created together in a room. One of the key takeaways for me within this collaborative process has been how to learn to let go – to sit back and trust in Alexia’s writing process, and to feel comfortable with the same happening with my composition. I also feel it pertinent to shout out our mentors on Opera Makers — Toby Young, Stephen Plaice, and Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh – who’ve been instrumental for us on this creative journey.

5/What are you hoping an audience will take from the work?

ALEXIA: We would like audiences to feel moved, through both humour and pathos, but also to bear witness and to feel seen. We are interested in stories that give space to those often sidelined, not just because we are committed to diversity but because it makes for a more interesting narrative. Experiencing a story you think you already know that then shifts to give you a slightly different perspective does wonders for the brain.

ZYGGY: I’d love for audiences to come away from this feeling a bit more connected to those around them. I’ve always felt like horror is such a strong medium for allegory and storytelling – I love stories that force you to empathise with decisions one might otherwise not – and I feel like the visceral horror associated with Arthur’s final decision at the end of the opera really hammers that point home. It’s those aspects of empathy that I admire so much about Alexia’s writing, and what I feel like our shared dramaturgy brings to the opera world.

URSA MINOR by Zygmund De Somogyi & Alexia Peniguel is at Milton Court Studio Theatre from 20 - 25 June | gsmd.ac.uk