Who put Bella in the wych elm?

Holt, S. (2003) Who put Bella in the wych elm? [Composition]

Abstract

Chamber opera, duration 45 minutes. For baritone, soprano, violin, and piano soloists, and chamber ensemble with live electronics. This music-theatre piece is based on the true story of the discovery in 1943 of the decaying body of a 35-year-old mother stuffed down an old wych elm in Birmingham. It was premiered at the Aldeburgh Festival in June 2003 by Andrew Slater (baritone), Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Rolf Hind (piano), and David Alberman (violin), with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group conducted by Alexander Briger. Three other (separate) pieces by Simon Holt are linked to this work: 'The other side of silence' (2004) for piccolo, viola and harp (see https://researchonline.rcm.ac.uk/id/eprint/1422/), 'The coroner's report' (2004) for large ensemble (https://researchonline.rcm.ac.uk/id/eprint/1421/), and 'The sharp end of night' (2005) for solo violin (https://researchonline.rcm.ac.uk/id/eprint/1417/).

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