Tom Phillips, Gavin Bryars & Fred Orton Irma - An Opera by Tom Phillips, Music by Gavin Bryars, Libretto by Fred Orton

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Overture
• 3. Aria - I Tell You That's Irma Herself
• 4. First Interlude
• 5. Aria - Irma You Will Be Mine
• 6. Second Interlude
• 7. Chorus - Love Is Help Mate
• 8. Postlude

In 1977, for Brian Eno’s Obscure Records, I made a version of Irma. These notes arise from that experience and explore how the piece can be performed. Irma is an unusual score—printed on a single 50cm x 50cm sheet. Its notation consists of verbal fragments from Tom Phillips' A Humument, referencing “libretto,” “decor and mise-en-scène,” or “sounds.” These categories are arranged separately, with stave notation at the bottom. At first glance, it appears indeterminate—requiring preparation before performance. Like realising a piece by John Cage or Morton Feldman from the 1950s, playing it directly from the score results in either a documentary curiosity or something entirely dependent on a gifted performer.

Unlike Cage’s Variations I, which provides precise sonic parameters, Irma must be re-composed rather than merely realised. If one relies solely on its notated material, the result may feel sparse; as a standalone work, the score is thin. Either one accepts an impoverished outcome or assumes responsibility for expansion.

Phillips does not explicitly state that one must look beyond Irma, but he implies it. The score suggests treating its fragments as if they were remnants of an ancient opera, requiring reconstruction without knowledge of its original tradition. This method aligns with my own compositional interests.

If the composer employs Phillips’ techniques—constructing A Humument, using Irma's notation as clues to explore richer possibilities—a more satisfying result emerges. This approach ensures both a higher-quality sonic outcome and coherence with Phillips’ broader work.