Mansfield Park

Music by Jonathan Dove

INTIMATE AUSTEN

Originally written for four-handed piano, this 2011 chamber opera for 13-piece orchestral ensemble is based on the 1814 novel by Jane Austen. The narrative follows the impoverished Fanny Price, who is sent as a child to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle at their family estate, Mansfield Park.

Composer Dove said he “heard music” when he first read the story, and the opera’s score is peppered with influences from Mozart, Stravinsky, and Britten while reflecting the book’s Regency period. Fanny is Austen’s “quiet heroine” in this intelligent comedy of manners that satirizes class, marriage, and moral education, and sparkles with wit and craftsmanship.