Yellow Sofa

The Welsh Julian Philips (1969) is an opera composer through and through, with ten staged works under his belt. As the first resident composer of Glyndebourne Opera between 2006–2009, he was commissioned to write two chamber operas: Followers, with a libretto by Simon Christmas, and The Yellow Sofa, with words by Edward Kemp, were both premiered at the famed opera festival, the latter in 2009. In 2012 a revived version of the production was toured nationally, and was presented even at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The performances met with great interest, and were widely reviewed in the British press.

The Yellow Sofa is set in Lisbon, in the late 19th century. Godofredo Alves has a small but prosperous business. The soft cushions of the yellow sofa (called Amarela in the opera, and sung by a mezzo-soprano) he had bought for his wife, Ludovina, had been witness to a lot of things. One day, Godofredo’s business partner, Machado stops work earlier than usual, and encourages him too to get out and have some fun. Godofredo takes up his advice, and leaves, but then remembers it is their wedding anniversary, and hurries home, only to find Ludovina and Machado in a compromising position upon the yellow sofa.