Sau - some background to the setting of "Ona's Flood"

Pantà de Sau (Sau Reservoir) is the setting for the fictional tale of Ona’s Flood by Harvey Brough and libretto by Clara Sanabras. This brand new commission by Barnstorm will receive its World Premiere in the Tithe Barn, Bradford on Avon in July 2013 as part of a double-bill listing with Benjamin Britten’s community opera, Noye’s Fludde.

Ona’s Flood is a modern-day flood story and written as a companion piece to Noye’s Fludde, with many of the key themes in common, and the characters drawing many parallels between the two works. Set in Catalonia, the Sau Reservoir was created in 1962 by submerging the village of Sau. It is 17km and 3km wide at its maximum. The main point of interest however, is the bell tower of the Romanesque church which, when the level is low, can be seen above the water. For the locals it is a popular indicator of the level of the water, and serves as a central point around which to jet-ski, water-ski, yachting and for fishing. Many enjoy this scenic spot for its water sports and recreational potential, but for many visitors and tourists, the tower of the Sant Romà de Sau has a powerful emotional effect because of the feeling of “wrongness” about this whole village being submerged by man to feed water into Barcelona. As one commentator says, the church is now a “shelter for fish, not of souls”.

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pant%C3%A0_de_Sau

Have a nosy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP342xKK7m8

See people canoeing right by the submerged tower here: http://vimeo.com/46924315