WORCESTER  — An opera that explores lost love through the serendipitous encounter of two former lovers in a London café premiered at Clark University on Sunday, Oct. 10.

Called “A Dill Pickle,” the opera, written by Clark University Music Professor Matt Malsky, is named after a short story written by Kathleen Mansfield. Mansfield was a modernist writer of short stories and poetry from New Zealand who lived from 1888-1923. 

“A Dill Pickle” is a story about two formers lovers who reconnect after six years in a London café in 1917, a year before World War I ended. The story explores the meaning of lost love through the intimacy of the serendipitous encounter at the café.

“It’s a very intimate opera, so small gestures like picking up a glove or offering a cigarette or looking off into the distance carry a lot of psychological weight,” explained Kirk Jackson, a theater professor at Bennington College who is directing the opera. 

Literary analysts theorize that the “dill pickle” mentioned in the story symbolizes the loss of interest some men experience after having an affair with a woman, that is, once “tasted,” a woman loses her “flavor” to a man. Only in this story, that flavor is renewed in a new, stale and “pickled” state.

According to a release from ClarkNow written by Aviva Luttrell, the opera, which stars Caitlin Felsman (a mezzo-soprano who plays Vera, the female lead) and Clark music Professor Cailin Marcel Manson (baritone, the male protagonist) premiered last Sunday at the Jean McDonough Arts Center’s BrickBox Theater and online through a livestream.

An undertone and guiding force in the story is World War I, which plays a subtle macrocosm of sorts to the intricacies of the couple’s serendipitous encounter. 

“These people have a tender and heartbreaking moment reconnecting after not seeing each other for six years, but there’s this other thing happening in the world — and it’s barely mentioned,” said Jackson. 

Malsky decided to adapt “A Dill Pickle” to opera after he heard Clark University English Professor Elizabeth Blake give a lecture on Mansfield’s work. 

“I’m interested in things that are more of a human scale,” said Malsky. “‘A Dill Pickle’ is just a couple sitting at a café and having a conversation, and I was really impressed by the depth of what happens between them — both the conversation and the way that conversation triggers memories and internal monologues. I found it a very rich source for a story, and one that matched what I wanted to do musically.”

For tickets to “A Dill Pickle,” please go to: https://worcesterchambermusic.org/concerts/chamber-opera/.