This wild and visceral comic opera will be my sixth and best.

The piece is totally unique in its conception and will be like no other opera around. With a text taken directly from real life conversations with the artist himself (from Melvyn Bragg's now infamous episode of The Southbank Show), and music written to encapsulate the techniques of the artist in question, this piece delves deep and shines light onto one of the most incredible painters in history. 

Francis lets himself go as he and Melvyn Bragg get roaring drunk and discuss the artist's motivations, passions and philosophies. The conversation touches on everything from the history of painting flesh to death, beauty and booze. Every sentence is peppered with phenomenal poetry; none of it self-regarding, all of it loaded with meaning.

The music will match the abrupt, startling, obsessive world of Bacon's work, and will be an unforgettable experience for audiences. The score will naturally reflect the nature of Bacon's work, and will tear audiences from the polite, conservative world of many of today's operas.

Rehearsals for this opera will be over a two week period, with 8 musicians in total (piano, clarinet, saxophone, piccolo trumpet, cello, viola, baritone and tenor) as well as a set/costume designer and a director (myself). This will be verychallenging work, and I believe that everybody involved in the production should be paid properly.
 

Performance is scheduled for 26th August 2011 at the Grimeborn Opera Festival in London.

I am writing the opera now, and intend it to be at least one hour long.

Whatever support we raise will be used for the opera. We are applying for funding elsewhere, and the rehearsal time will be directly related to the support we have... so the more we get the better the production will be and the bigger the likelyhood of the opera transferring elsewhere.

The perks: The emphasis for the perks is on original compositions. Think of it as an investment.