Publisher's Synopsis
complete vocal score and piano reduction Dan-no-Ura is an opera about the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, and one of the most celebrated naval battles of all time along with the Battle of Actium and the Battle of Trafalgar. The events are loosely adapted from the epic Japanese novel The Tale of the Heike and other literary works. A number of historical events and personages have been telescoped, combined or omitted in order to produce a cohesive operatic work. The opera is set in a very specific period, the the end of the Heian Era in the late twelfth century. The aesthetic is one of consummate elegance and utter simplicity. Whether the production is naturalistic or highly stylized is a matter of directorial choice, but this aesthetic must constantly be borne in mind. The action of the opera takes place against a very fluid backdrop, as though the audience were a moving observer or even a camera, able to pan and tilt through the mélée and to zoom in on important scenes.
