Robert Saxton

Caritas

Libretto for Caritas, an Opera in Two Acts. Caritas' is in two acts, the first consisting of 12 short scenes, the second being a continuous scena. The overall form of the opera retains the architecture of Wesker's stage play, but alters the proportions, in order to create a musically dynamic form. While each scene of the first act is centred around a specific pitch, the second act is a Passacaglia, whose 'ground' is a Cantus Firmus, each repetition of which begins on a different note from those of its previous statements. These large-scale architectural features are both reflected in, and derived from, the musical material itself.