Three Other Sisters

Opera

Three Other Sisters is a chamber opera for soprano, string and saxophone quartets and electronics. The opera is based on the novel by Anton Chekhov Three sisters, which was complemented with true events from lives of two women of the 20th century. Instead of Olga, Masha and Irina, the opera features three other sisters – Nina, Nadia and Natasha, whose characters blend in a musical part performed by a single singer.

Although the characters come from different time periods, they are united by memories of the past and their longing for Moscow as a lost space. Other imagery was transferred to the opera from original life stories that happened to Nina and Nadia. The third, “other” sister Natasha is a fictional character and the central figure of the piece, bringing intrigue into the opera: is she merely a result of the two sisters’ imagination or is she a person who had actually existed and is now lost in the labyrinth of their memories?

The structure of the piece consists of three parts, where every sister utters an imaginary address to the others.

Contrary to the identity of the character, the musical material of the opera is clearly divided. Vocal techniques become unique identifying characteristics of every sister. Electronics part helps to orient within the changing timeframe.

Composer Albertas Navickas
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