Montségur

The Cathars - opera in two acts
Music and libretto: Robert Robertson
Director: Jeff Merrifield, Music Director: Brian Brown
In 1985, after completing my libretto for The Cathars, I travelled to the Languedoc region in France, to visit the sites
that feature in my opera about religious intolerance, set in the period of the Albigensian crusades.
The music is scored for choirs, instrumental ensemble, and electro-acoustic tape.
A company was created for the production of the opera, which was premiered in 1995 at Brentwood Theatre.
The Cathars was also performed in Cressing Temple, a vast barn in Essex, built by the Knights Templar during the
period depicted in the opera.
The Cathars was performed in another venue with a wonderful acoustic: the Main Hall in the Glastonbury Assembly
Halls, ideal for the multi-choral scenes.