Steve Elcock: The Cage of Opprobrium (world premiere)

The composer writes: In the town of Levoča stands a 16th century metal pillory in the form of a cage, known as the cage of opprobrium. It was used to punish women found walking unaccompanied in the streets after dark. They were usually locked in the cage for 24 hours. This cage immediately struck me as being shot through with powerful tensions that demanded musical expression. Firstly, because the opprobrium, or shame, should more properly be heaped on the head of those who had invented such a cruel instr