The Immortal Hour

text by Fiona Macleod (1899) music by The Blackbird

The Immortal Hour is a play written in 1899 by Fiona Macleod. A few years later the composer Rutland Boughton composed an opera of based the play which premiered in 1914 at The Assembly Rooms of Glastonbury. Now the piece is reborn with all new music composed by Greg Dinunzi (The Blackbird) as a musical theater work with a small chamber ensemble. This new reimagining of The Immortal Hour and produced by The Modern Theatre of Myth, returned to the Assembly Rooms on March 16, 2025 to a sold out house.

“...gives new life to a remarkable classic work for a new age of the world.”

— -Prof. Ronald Hutton, Professor of History, University of Bristol. Professor of Divinity, Gresham College

“The music offers the listeners an experience which allows them to hear Fiona Macleod’s magical poetry as they never have before.”

— - RJ Stewart, Composer, Author, Teacher

Cast & Crew of the CD Production

Greg Dinunzi: Dalua, Midir, The Bard, & Guitars, Keyboards.

RJ Stewart: King Eochaidh & Psaltery

Lia Fisher Lindman/Denise Jastraunig/Shannon Callahan: Etain

Paul Hetherington: Manus * Michele Cuomo: Maeve

Leonardo von Papp: Mallets and Percussion * Karola Elssner: Duduk and Bass Clarinet

Dirk Beisse/Ray Würzebesser: Cello. * Christiane Buchenau/Mariana Vozovik : Viola

Sound Design: Tom Lynn and Greg Dinunzi

Recorded and Mixed by Tom Lynn

Have a Good Journey!

-The Blackbird

This work is intended to be listened to in its entirety, as you would if you were watching a movie or play.

Running time is approximately 74 miuntes. It is recommended that is in a comfortable position, without distractions.

The composer recommend listening at night time. The music is separated here into first an second act.

The Immortal Hour

Act 1

(Scenes 1 & 2) Where Dalua: The God of Shadow and divine madness, and Etain: a Sidhe royal of immortal beauty are mysteriously invoked in the forest at the edge of the world without knowing why or by whom. Etain is seen to be losing memory of herself as she wanders in the forest.

Eochaidh, the Great King of Ireland, has arrived in the enchanted forest at the world’s end to pursue the source of his greatest desire and dream: The Fount of Beauty where he hopes to win an undying moment of beauty beyond all mortal experience.

Act 1 (Scene 3) Dalua, after hearing the heartbeat of a mortal (The King) in the forest leads Etain to the Huntsman’s Lodge where Eochaidh will also be led. With the pieces all being in place, Dalua withdraws to allow things to unfold. Etain, whose memory of her true self have been lost now, meets King Eochaidh in the lodge run by Manus and Maeve and they find themselves in love.

End of Act I.

***

Act 2:

(Scene 1) One year later at the court of King Eochaidh and his wife and new Queen Etain. They celebrate their first perfect year together, but beneath the glamour, they share that they are both troubled by dreams and premonitions.

An unknown Lord arrives (Midir) and challenges the Eochaidh to a game of fidchell, an ancient game of strategy like chess, where unborn Gods battle and kings are pawns. The winner is to be be granted his greatest desire.

Act 2 (Scene 2.1) The Strange Lord wins, and as a boon, he desires only to kiss the Queen’s Hand and the permission to sing a song he wrote for her.

Act 2 (Scene 2 Ending) Midir, the Sidhe royal associated with Love, sings for here which breaks the spell which has enchanted and entrapped Etain in the mortal world and restores her stolen memories of who she is, and they return to The Land of the Young, (Tir na nOg) leaving the King Eochaidh with Dalua.

With Etain lost to him, Eochaidh is alone. Dalua returns to deliver him the only dream left for him to have.