On their dying day, a Father and Son are offered a gruesome glimmer of hope by an enemy Creature. Black Blood is an allegory of our wars over resources, giving voice to the victims who are innocent, who do not wish to fight, yet who suffer the most.

Opera fascinates me with how easily it accommodates epic scope; the form embraces the grandest of human emotions, experience, and expression. Operatic narratives can thrive in the proportions that we consider Biblical and Shakespearean. I wanted to explore that vast breadth with Black Blood, thus, some of our most extreme experiences make up the story: war, death, sacrifice. I wanted to utilise opera’s grand form by writing grand themes. And, as is my artistic tendency, I wanted to say something of social relevance. I consider Black Blood to be a post-apocalyptic opera infused with science fiction and political commentary. For me, this piece conjures up images of Mad Max. Not sure why.

- Norman Yeung