A 15-minute Chamber opera based on a short story by Margaret Mahy. It tells the story of two sisters whose parents strike a bargain with two supernatural figures when the girls are babies. One sister becomes the servant of The Lady of Darkness and spends her life in a state of gloom and despondency. The other is the servant of the Lady Of Light and is relentlessly and manically cheery and sing-songy. It is only when the parents die that the sisters can become well-rounded people.

The work was commissioned by Pocket Opera, Wellington, New Zealand and first performed by them in 1997.

It is scored for baritone, mezzo-soprano, soprano and contralto, with bassoon and string quartet.

There is a short excerpt of this work towards the bottom of the page.

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