Name: Whalley, Richard: Erysichthon's Forest
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Whalley, Richard: Erysichthon's Forest

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Arrangement: for soprano, bass, cello and piano
Edition Type: Set of Parts
Publisher: Composers Edition
Catalogue Number: ce-rw1ef1
Pages: 88
Date Published: 7th Jul 2022

The story of Erysichthon pulls no punches. In Ovid’s version of the tale, Erysichthon cuts down every tree in the sacred grove of Ceres, and the wood nymphs who live there demand revenge. On hearing about this, Ceres bids Hunger to visit Erysichthon and inflict his body with everlasting hunger: a hunger so severe that the more he eats the hungrier he will get. Nothing can satiate this hunger, despite Erysichthon ultimately selling all his worldly goods to buy food to consume. In desperation, he finally sells his daughter, Mestra, who discovers at this point a talent for shapeshifting, a skill that Erysichthon determines to use to trick traders who think they are buying a slave to give him money. But still the hunger won’t go away. If you take this story to its logical conclusion, there is only one possible ending, which is indeed what happens: Erysichthon’s hunger is such that the only relief is for him to consume himself, until nothing is left.

This melodrama sets three scenes from the story to texts written by the poet John McAuliffe. It was written for a project funded by the University of Manchester, in association with Creative Manchester, and produced by Manchester Opera Project.

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