Clemency

Clemency is the third operatic collaboration between the composer James MacMillan and the poet Michael Symmons Roberts to date - a chamber opera exploring a central but enigmatic episode in the Old Testament: Abraham and Sarah are visited by three mysterious strangers giving them the joyous information that Sarah will bear a child, but also letting them know of their intention to destroy the neighboring towns of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Composed in 2009-10, Clemency was commissioned by Boston Lyric Opera along with the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Britten Sinfonia. For the first U.S. production of the one-act work, Boston Lyric Opera decided, with the approval of the composer and librettist, to introduce the figure of Hagar, servant to Sarah but also the mother of Abraham's first child, Ishmael. This is done by incorporating a version of Schubert's early song "Hagar's Lament" as a prelude to this opera that challenges us to measure the impact of our lives in a modern world that continues to be marked politically and spiritually by acts of mercy and acts of vengeance.

This is a world premiere recording of a live, staged performance at Artists for Humanity EpiCenter.