Noye's Fludde is a one-act opera written largely for young amateur performers, created by the British composer Benjamin Britten. First performed in 1958 at the annual Aldeburgh Festival, it is based on the 15th-century Chester "mystery" play which recounts the biblical story of Noah, the flood and the ark. Britten had written numerous works for mixed professionals and amateurs, and had also used text from the Chester play cycle, for his 1952 Canticle II. For Noye's Fludde he added to the Chester text three congregational hymns, together with the Greek prayer Kyrie eleison and an Alleluia chorus. Of the solo sung roles, only the parts of Noye (Noah) and his wife are intended to be sung by professionals; the remaining roles are taken by child and adolescent performers. The mainly amateur orchestra contains numerous unconventional instruments. At its premiere Noye's Fludde was acclaimed by critics and the public alike, both for the inspiration of the music and for the design and production. Since then it has been staged worldwide; the performance in Beijing in October 2012 was the first in China of any Britten opera.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noye%27s_Fludde
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1789:
French Revolution: Parisians stormed the Bastille, freeing its inmates and taking the prison's large quantities of arms and ammunition. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille
1950:
In an early battle of the Korean War, North Korean troops began attacking the headquarters of the American 24th Infantry Division in Taejon, South Korea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taejon
1958:
Faisal II, the last king of Iraq, was overthrown by a military coup d'état led by Abd al-Karim Qasim. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/14_July_Revolution
1987:
Over 100 mm (3.9 in) of rain fell in a two-and-a-half-hour period in Montreal, causing severe flooding and over C$220 million in damages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_flood_of_1987
1995:
The MPEG-2 Audio Layer III audio coding format was given the filename extension by which it became known: MP3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
galette: 1. A type of flat, round cake from France. 2. Short for Breton galette: a crêpe or pancake made with buckwheat flour, and often with a savoury filling, originally from Upper Brittany in France. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/galette
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Arise, children of the Fatherland, The day of glory has arrived! Against us tyranny's Bloody banner is raised … Do you hear, in the countryside, The roar of those ferocious soldiers? They're coming right into your arms To slaughter your sons, your companions!! To arms, citizens, Form your battalions, Let's march, let's march! --Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Claude_Joseph_Rouget_de_Lisle