Bernard Hughes's new opera Dumbfounded! will be premiered at the Tete a Tete Opera Festival on August 8-9 at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London. The work, based on a short story by Saki, is Bernard's second collaboration with writer William Radice, who also wrote the libretto for Bernard's W11 Opera commission, Chincha-Chancha Cooroo.
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It is tea-time and Egbert is seeking to make peace with his wife after their lunchtime quarrel, but his various approaches falter in the face of Lady Anne's implacable resistance. Their cat, the elegant and well-read Don Tarquinio, offers his sardonic take on the situation, demonstrating his disdain for the humans – but a lively interest in the musical bullfinch, Lucretia. Meanwhile, Egbert's ever more desperate attempts to appease his wife meet with no success. Will Egbert achieve a reconciliation with Lady Anne before Don Tarquinio reveals the lengths to which he will go in his pursuit of a feathered dinner?
