West Australian Opera is joining forces with the University of Western Australia to present Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time in the magnificent neo-Romanesque setting of Winthrop Hall this month. Composed around 1939 to 1941, the work could not be more timely, and when I speak to WA Opera’s amiable Artistic Director Chris van Tuinen, who’s also conducting the May performance, he’s hopeful that its message and music will resonate with today’s audiences.
As van Tuinen says, A Child of Our Time ‘tells the story of freedom from oppression. It tells the story of one man’s path, the choices that one man makes, and the fact that society and groups of people and crowds can respond in particular ways.
