Dog Days (opera)

Last updated

Dog Days is an opera by David T. Little, to a libretto by Royce Vavrek after the short story by Judy Budnitz. [1]

Contents

Performance history

Dog Days was produced by Peak Performances @Montclair State (New Jersey) in association with Beth Morrison Projects, and had its world premiere run from September 29 to October 7, 2012. Robert Woodruff directed the production that starred Lauren Worsham and performance artist John Kelly. Scenic and video design was created by Jim Findlay, costume design by Vita Tzykun, and sound design by Matt Frey. Alan Pierson was the production's Musical Director and conductor, with new music ensemble Newspeak serving as the on-stage band. [2]

Scenes from Dog Days premiered at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on May 9, 2009, as part of the Dawn Upshaw and Osvaldo Golijov Young Artists Concert. [3] Three arias from the opera-in-progress were subsequently presented by American Opera Projects [4] at Galapagos Arts Space, including the world premiere of Mirror, Mirror performed by soprano Lauren Worsham. [5]

In 2015 the work was staged at both the Fort Worth Opera and Los Angeles Opera with the original cast from the world premiere in Montclair. [6] The work saw its New York City premiere at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts during the 2016 Prototype Festival. [7] The work's European premiere took place at Bielefeld Opera on February 27, 2016. [8]

Original cast recording

The original cast recording of Dog Days was released on VIA Records on September 9, 2016. [9] Recorded live at REDCAT during the Los Angeles Opera presentation of the Beth Morrison Projects' production, the album was praised upon its release by WQXR in New York as "a fine document...captured with pristine clarity...(a) valuable addition to the 21st-century discography". [10] It was subsequently named one of the "Best 50 Albums of 2016" by NPR Music, ranking at #19. [11]

Roles

Role Voice type Premiere cast, September 29, 2012
(Conductor: Alan Pierson)
Lisa soprano Lauren Worsham
Father (Howard) baritone James Bobick
Mothersoprano Marnie Breckenridge
Elliot tenor Michael Marcotte
Pattenor Peter Tantsits
Captain mezzo-soprano Cherry Duke
Princenon-sung role John Kelly

Synopsis

The opera follows an American family in the near future who slowly starve as war rages. One day, a man in a dog suit arrives on their property howling for scraps.

Reception

"It might all amount to mere provocation had Mr. Little and Mr. Vavrek not delivered a taut, nuanced work that clawed beneath the surface of every situation. Profanities pop like a string of firecrackers in Mr. Vavrek's libretto, yet its poetry is indelible and affecting. Mr. Little responded with music of emotional insight and charm, suggesting pop-music modes at times without ever resorting to pastiche. Harsh, angular lines and abrasive textures cede to wistful melodies and touches of hymnody; unorthodox instrumental techniques enhance mood without distracting." (Steve Smith, The New York Times) [12]

"This gripping two-hour opera [...] wastes no time: A taut libretto and varied, original music deliver its grim story like a punch in the stomach." (Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal ) [13]

"The work seamlessly melds emerging and veteran artists with distinctive viewpoints and serious craft. Little's rhythmically driven score is stylistically diverse but cogent, fusing impeccable classical vocal writing, heavy metal, and musical theater. Royce Vavrek's libretto shifts from coarse, plainspoken banter to poetic musings." (Ronni Reich, The Star-Ledger , New Jersey) [14]

Related Research Articles

Stephanie Blythe American mezzo-soprano

Stephanie Blythe is an American mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1990s. She is particularly associated with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, with whom she has performed annually since her debut with the company in 1995. In 2014 she starred as Gertrude Stein in the world premiere of 27, an opera composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with libretto by Royce Vavrek, and commissioned for her by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Royce Vavrek

Royce Vavrek is a Canadian-born Brooklyn-based librettist, playwright, dance scenarist, musical theatre writer and filmmaker known for his collaborations with composers David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Mikael Karlsson, Ricky Ian Gordon, Paola Prestini and Du Yun, soprano Lauren Worsham, producers Beth Morrison and Lawrence Edelson, and conductors Steven Osgood, Julian Wachner and Alan Pierson.

<i>Die Bürgschaft</i> (opera)

Die Bürgschaft is an opera in three acts by Kurt Weill. Caspar Neher wrote the German libretto after the parable Der afrikanische Rechtspruch by Johann Gottfried Herder. Composed from August to October 1931, it was premiered on 10 March 1932 at the Städtische Oper in Berlin, Germany.

Daniel Belcher is an American operatic baritone who has sung at many of the world's leading opera houses. He notably portrayed the role of John Brooke in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women and played the role of Andy Warhol in the premiere of Michael Daugherty's Jackie O, both with the Houston Grand Opera (HGO). He is particularly admired for his portrayal of Rossini heroes with Dandini in La Cenerentola and Figaro in The Barber of Seville being two of his signature roles.

Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera is a comic opera in one act by David T. Little to a libretto by Royce Vavrek.

David T. Little is a Grammy-nominated American composer, record producer, and drummer known for his operatic, orchestral, and chamber works, most notably his operas JFK,Soldier Songs, and Dog Days which was named a standout opera of recent decades by The New York Times. He is the artistic director of Newspeak, an eight-piece amplified ensemble that explores the boundaries between rock and classical music, and is a member of the composition faculty at Mannes School of Music.

Lauren Tolbert Worsham is an American actress and singer known for her work in the opera and musical theatre. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. She is also known for being the lead singer of the band Sky-Pony, which has released two albums with original songs titled "Say You Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Raptured Live".

Marnie Breckenridge is an American singer based out of New York City. She is a soprano performing opera, classical music, operetta and classical sacred music.

Missy Mazzoli American composer and pianist (born 1980)

Missy Mazzoli is an American composer and pianist who is a member of the composition faculty at the Mannes College of Music. She has received critical acclaim for her chamber, orchestral and operatic work. In 2018 she became one of the first two women to receive a commission from the Metropolitan Opera House. She is the founder and keyboardist for Victoire, an electro-acoustic band dedicated to performing her music. From 2012-2015 she was composer-in-residence at Opera Philadelphia, in collaboration with Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theater Group. Her music is published by G. Schirmer. Mazzoli received a 2015 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award, a Fulbright Grant to the Netherlands, and in 2018 was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Classical Composition. In 2018, Mazzoli was named for a two-season term as the Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

<i>27</i> (opera)

27 is an opera by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Royce Vavrek in a prologue and five acts that explores the relationship of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, and the salons that they hosted at their residence at 27 rue de Fleurus in Paris. The work was commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe. The full cast of five singers was featured on the cover of the June 2014 issue of Opera News. The opera premiered on June 14, 2014, in a production directed by James Robinson and conducted by Michael Christie at the Loretto-Hilton Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The world premiere was recorded by Albany Records.

Gregory Spears is an American composer of instrumental and operatic works that blend aspects of romanticism, minimalism, and early music. Among his best known works are the operas Fellow Travelers and Paul's Case, as well as his Requiem.

Angel's Bone is an opera by composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek in one act that follows the plight of two angels discovered on earth who are forced into spiritual and sexual slavery at the hands of a financially troubled couple. The work is a contemporary parable that explores the dark effects behind modern-day slavery, and human trafficking and probes the psyche of traffickers. Du Yun draws her inspiration from a range of musical genres – from classical to punk to the cabaret.

JFK is an opera in three acts by American composer David T. Little, with an English-language libretto by Royce Vavrek. The opera's story is based on the final night of American president John F. Kennedy's life that was spent in at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth, prior to his assassination in Dallas, on November 22, 1963.

Breaking the Waves is an opera in three acts by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek. It is based on the 1996 film of the same name by Danish auteur Lars von Trier. The opera was first performed on September 22, 2016, by Opera Philadelphia.

Steven Osgood is an American classical music conductor.

O Columbia is an opera in three parts by Gregory Spears, with an English-language libretto by Royce Vavrek. The opera's story celebrates the American spirit of exploration and features Sir Walter Raleigh, an astronaut on the Space Shuttle Columbia and the mythological icon Lady Columbia.

Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt is an opera in one act by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek and Mazzoli. It is inspired by the life of Swiss explorer and writer Isabelle Eberhardt.

Abigail Fischer is an American mezzo-soprano.

Beth Morrison is an American producer of contemporary opera.

Prototype Festival is an annual, weeklong contemporary opera and musical theater festival held in New York City.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-08-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "Peak Performances - Performances - Dog Days (David T. Little and Royce Vavrek)". Archived from the original on 2013-03-28. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  3. ↑ "New Amsterdam Records - Home". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  4. ↑ Opera Grows In Brooklyn Returns To Galapagos Art Center 7/17
  5. ↑ "New Amsterdam Records - Home". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  6. ↑ Willard Spiegelman (April 26, 2015). "Dog Days: Fort Worth". Opera News . Archived from the original on July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ "High Notes: Raw, Powerful New Operas Tackle Human Trafficking, Sexual Deviancy" Archived 2016-01-22 at the Wayback Machine by James Jorden, The New York Observer , 14 January 2016
  8. ↑ "DogDays - Theater Bielefeld". Archived from the original on 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  9. ↑ "Dog Days - VisionIntoArt". Archived from the original on 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-11-11. Retrieved 2016-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ "Best 50 Albums of 2016". Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
  12. ↑ "'Dog Days,' New Opera, at Peak Performances in Montclair - the New York Times". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  13. ↑ "A Future Red in Tooth and Claw" Archived 2016-04-09 at the Wayback Machine , review by Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal, 2 October 2012
  14. ↑ Dog Days: Opera's savage side" Archived 2013-08-23 at the Wayback Machine , The Star-Ledger, 2 October 2012
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.