Contemporary Classics October 31, 2017 Contemporary Opera and Interview with Michael Ching

The first hour we have an ingerview with composer MichaelChing.  This interview can be heard by clicking below.

The second hour is inspired by Thomas Adès’s “TheExterminating Angel,” based on the classic, darkly comic Luis Buñuel film, which opened at the Metropolitan Opera  last Thursday, Oct. 26, and runs through Nov.21.   So the theme for the rest of the show is 21^st century operas

Beginning in December WRUU will be hosting the live from the Met on Saturaday afternoons.

We are going to begin this hour with Nico Muhly: Two Boys which was a feature of the  Metropolitan Opera’s 2013-2014season and the production had conductor David Robertson and directorBartlett Sher

The opera takes place on March 2001 in an Englishindustrial city, before widespread use of the internet. Detective Anne Strawsonis given a case she does not want: Jake, 13, has been stabbed in the heart andremains comatose; Brian, 16, stands accused but maintains his innocence. Brianregales Anne with a preposterous narrative, claiming to have been ensnaredonline in a web of outrageous and melodramatic characters including wealthy, beautifulRebecca, 17, her genius brother, Jake, their “Aunt” Fiona, a professional spy

Recorded live during theMetropolitan Opera’s 2013 production with conductor David Robertson and directorBartlett Sher—on September 30, 2014.

Here we have Act 1 Scene 1where Brian arrives at the police station indicating his friend has beenstabbed. as Detective Inspector Anne Strewson is given the case despite herobjections to taking the cases as Brian is the age of the boy she had give upfor adoption years ago.  Thisexcerpt feature

Alice Coote mezzo-soprano asDetective Inspector Anne Strewson and Paul Appleby tenor as Brian        

This is followed by Act 2Scene 1 where Alone in her office in the middle of the night, Anne Strewson nowwith transcripts of emails related to the case reviews the evidence from everypossible angle: how could Brian’s stories be true? She asks her boss to combthe morgues to see if Rebecca’s body has turned up, and to contact MI5 about“Aunt” Fiona.  Here again isfeatured Alice Coote mezzo-soprano as Detective Inspector Anne Strewson

Nico Muhly: Two Boys  Metropolitan Opera s 2013-2014production with conductor David Robertson

Next is from an earlier Thomas Ades opera  The Tempest

The Tempest, Act 2: SceneIV: What Was Before with Ferdinand, Miranda,(and Prospero unseen)

The couple expresses theirlove for each other and Miranda frees Ferdinand leaving Prospero to accept theloss of his daughter: “Miranda/ I’ve lost her/ I cannot rule their minds/My child has conquered me/ A stronger power than mine/ Has set the young manfree”.

Simon Keenlyside, baritoneas Prospero; Toby Spence, tenor asFerdinand &  Kate Royal, soprano asMiranda 

Act 3  Scene 5: Caliban alone, with Arieloffstage

Caliban stands alone on theisland musing on the changes: “Who was here/ Have they disappeared?”.Ariel’s voice is heard off stage.

Ian Bostridge  tenor asCaliban & Cyndia Sieden coloraturasoprano as Ariel

Next are two arias from Tobias Picker  Terese Raquin  

Thérèse Raquin is an operain two acts composed by Tobias Picker to a libretto by Gene Scheer based on thenovel Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola.

Therese Raquin is married toher cousin Camille who she does not love and married him our of  obligation to her aunt.   Camille friend Laurent arrives topaint Camille’s portrait and in time Therese falls in love with Laurent.   In a moment of passion Laurentsuggests killing Camille. Therese responds that she will do anything in orderto be with him. Laurent wakes Camille, and although Camille and Therese cannotswim, he proposes that they all rent a boat and row out to watch the sunset.Laurent rows out to the middle of the river and attacks Camille who is too weakto resist and is thrown overboard. Therese and Laurent, clutching each other,watch as Camille drowns.

Two arias fromTerese Raquin  Act 1 Scene 3 YouWere With Me featuring Sara Fulgoni Mezzo-Soprano as Thérèse Raquin

Act 1 Scene 3 Come On WakeUp  featuring Gordon Gietz Tenor asCamille Raquin;  Richard BernsteinBaritone as Laurent LeClaire & Sara Fulgoni Mezzo-Soprano as Thérèse Raquin

Our last opera for tonght is Doctor Atomic by John Adamstraces the development of the atomic bomb,  The work focuses on the great stress and anxiety experiencedby those at Los Alamos while the test of the first atomic bomb (the”Trinity” test) was being prepared and the personalities of thoseinvolved in the development of the bomb and Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty. The firstAct mostly takes place at Los Alamos NM during the bomb’s development and the second Act is the day of theexplosion at the Trinity test site outside of Alamogordo NM.  Here are two arias from Doctor Atomic.

In the aria “Am I in YourLight ?”  in Act 1 Scene 2         Kitty expresses her love for Robert Oppenheimer but is concerned her presenceis distracting him from his great work.

Here in an arrangement for for Voice and String Quartet)  is AnneSofie von Otter & Brooklyn Rider  from the album     SoMany Things         Naive        

The aria Batter my heart issung by Oppenheimer  at the end ofAct 1, This is sung at the Trinity Test site outside Alamogordo NM when he isconcerned about the bomb working and now the weather which has turned bad.  The aria uses text from Donne’s HolySonnet 14.

Batter MyHeart sung by Gerald Finley   along with the   LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner   from the album GreatOperatic Arias (Sung in English), Vol. 22: Gerald Finley