Sonya's Story[1] is an opera by the British composer Neal Thornton to a libretto based on the original Russian text of Anton Chekhov's 1899 play Uncle Vanya. The libretto reproduces passages from Uncle Vanya in English translation with additional spoken text by Neal Thornton.
Sonya's Story premiered on 7 August 2010 at the Riverside Studios in London to celebrate Chekhov's 150th birthday. The production, part of the Tête à Tête festival was directed by Sally Burgess and designed by Charles Phu.[2] [3] The work was positively received, Jessica Duchen of The Independent noticing "no compromise on standards".
| Role | Premiere cast, 7 August 2010 Conductor: Lionel Friend | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofya Alexandrovna Serebryakov (Sonya), Professor Serebryakov's daughter from his first marriage | Caryl Hughes | ||
| Ivan Petrovitch Voynitsky (Uncle Vanya), Sonya's uncle | Cozmin Sime | ||
| Mikhail Lvovich Astrov (Dr. Astrov), a country doctor | baritone | Cozmin Sime | |
| Yelena Andreyevna Serebryakov (Yelena), Professor Serebryakov's second wife | actress/dancer | Ilana Gorban |