Aqua Tofana [short version]

• Year of composition: 2024

• Instrumentation: three singers (soprano, mezzo-soprano & baritone) & electronics

• Duration: 35' approx.

• Premiere: 17th September 2024 at Cockpit Theatre in London (UK) for Tête à Tête Opera Festival

• Program notes:

1650’s Rome, wealth, power and politics pervade the city. The ruling class asserts its status and authority at every opportunity. Women throughout the capital are systematically denied autonomy over their lives, reduced to pawns for the betterment of their families through advantageous betrothals. Many find themselves trapped in loveless and at times abusive marriages.

Giulia Tofana, the apothecarist who holds the solution; Aqua Tofana, a colourless, odourless poison easily disguised amongst a lady’s perfumes and easily slipped into an unsuspecting husband’s drink. Operative Productions presents a work in progress staging that explores a woman who thrived at the intersection of right and wrong.

This short version was commissioned by London-based Operative Productions and follows the period relating to the trial of the latter by the Roman authorities, focusing on the dynamics of the testimonies and confessions of the accused and key figures such as Giovanna De Grandis, Elena Ferri, Maria Spinola, Francesca Flores (known as Cecca) and a beggar. The performance immerses the audience in the historical dynamics of the interrogation that actually took place, revealing the links and events that unfold around Giulia Tofana and the other women involved.

• Recording(s):