20:00, Fri 26th – Sat 27th April 2013 at Clare Cellars
Easter Week 0

Clare Cellars jazz beforehand in the bar **

CCMS are delighted to present Darius Milhaud’s Le Pauvre Matelot or ‘The Poor Sailor’ in the intimate setting of Clare Cellars. The chamber opera tells of a barmaid who has, for many years, awaited her husband’s return from travels at sea. The family business is about to fold, she is struggling to make ends meet, and she is desperate to be released from the madness of eternal anticipation. Unbeknown to her, the sailor has returned to the village, his weathered face almost unrecognisable. When the sailor finally appears before his wife, he is met with a shocking surprise…

The libretto, which will be sung in English, is based on true news events at the time of the opera. Despite its macabre bent, the story is set to a lullaby-like, gentle rocking rhythm; the music throughout is simple and bare, yet at moments suddenly awakens with bursts of bright, dizzying colours. Le Pauvre Matelot has become by far the best-known and most often performed of Milhaud's vocal stage works.