Cirrus@Austlit

The Possessed draws on traditional Chinese folk and twentieth century western idioms and instrumentation. Set in rural China at the beginning of the twentieth century, The Possessed tells the story of an ageing man who, impotent and desperate for offspring, brutally maltreats his young bride. The young woman's plight enlists the sympathy and ultimately the tragic love of the old man's dutiful and much abused nephew who works on his farm. The secret lovers bear a child, but can never reveal to the old man the son's true paternity until one fateful day. -- Chamber Made Opera website