"The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" - the opera

Cafe Society
1

I just bought and reread (had already read it many times at the library) Oliver Sacks’ wonderful book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

Some time ago my mind was blown to find out that Michael Nyman (the composer of the music from The Piano) made the title story into an opera.

Sooooooooo… anyone ever see it? how is it?

2

I love the book, but how the hell do you turn it into an opera?

3

That’s what I said!

4

I’ve not seen or heard it, but this review appears to describe the opera quite well:

The review says that Nyman’s “non-narrative opera” (which I guess means it does not have a story) is based on one chapter of Sachs’s book, about the perceptual problems of a singer who can only perceive the world through music. Hence, the music in the opera represents various aspects of the world and the central character’s disorientation and illness.

A recording of the opera is available from the usual stockists; the opera was also filmed, but the film does not appear to be available on DVD or video.