Everest (opera)

Last updated
Everest
Opera by Joby Talbot
Everest kalapatthar crop.jpg
Summit of Mount Everest from southwest
Librettist Gene Scheer
LanguageEnglish
Premiere
January 30, 2015 (2015-01-30)
Dallas Opera

Characters

Everest is a one-act opera by Joby Talbot to an English-language libretto by Gene Scheer. It was composed in 2014 and premiered on January 30, 2015, at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House of Dallas Opera. [1] The content deals with a real event, the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, in which several mountaineers died after a severe storm hit during their summit bids. It is based on interviews with survivors and shows in two strands the deaths of Rob Hall and Doug Hansen and the emotional world of Beck Weathers.

Contents

History

Everest was commissioned by Dallas Opera in 2014. At the world premiere on 30 January 2015 in Dallas [2] Sasha Cooke (Jan Arnold), Julia Rose Arduino (Meg Weathers), Andrew Bidlack (Rob Hall), Craig Verm (Doug Hansen), Kevin Burdette (Beck Weathers), John Boehr (Guy Cotter) and Mark McCrory (Mike Groom) sang. [3] The musical direction was by Nicole Paiement. The production was directed by Leonard Foglia, [4] the set design by Robert Brill (Betty Award), [5] costume design by David C. Woolard [6] and projection design by Elaine J. McCarthy (Betty Award) [5]

On 5 May 2017, on the occasion of the Opera America Conference 2017, there was a concert performance at the Winspear Opera House under the direction of Emmanuel Villaume. [7] In November 2017, the original staging of the opera was performed by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts [8] and again in 2019 at Calgary Opera. [9]

The European premiere took place on 5 May 2018 at the Theater Hagen in a production by Johannes Erath conducted by Joseph Trafton. [2] Stage and costumes came from Kaspar Glarner. The leading roles were sung by Veronika Haller (Jan Arnold), Musa Nkuna (Rob Hall), Kenneth Maltice (Doug Hansen), Morgan Moody (Beck Weathers), and Elizabeth Pilon (Meg Weathers). [10] For this production, director Corinna Jarosch attempted "to make the hallucinations of the mountaineers visible" rather than depict the mountain world realistically. [11] The plot was moved to a mountain sanatorium in reference to Thomas Mann's novel The Magic Mountain , [12] published three months after the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. [13]

Plot

May 10, 1996: On the Hillary Step of Mt. Everest, pathologist Beck Weathers lies unconscious in a snowdrift as mountaineer Rob Hall leads his group to the summit. While they enjoy the view, Weathers hallucinates being at a barbecue with his daughter Meg. Hall helps one of the group members, Doug Hansen, to reach the top as the rest of the group heads back down. As Hall takes Hansen's picture, the action flashes back to show Hall's wife Jan awaiting his return in New Zealand. Jan has climbed Everest once before, but her pregnancy prevented her from making this trip. When the flashback ends, Hansen begins to have trouble breathing. Hall tries to reach the base camp by radio to get help and oxygen.

The scene shifts back to Weathers' hallucination of his daughter Meg playing jumprope. Not recognizing his daughter, Weathers takes the jumprope from Meg and straps himself to the rope. Back to consciousness, he realizes that the rest of the group has not returned. It begins to snow and the sunset is approaching. Mike Groom, another expedition member, finds Weathers and urges him to descend just as a storm breaks out. Meanwhile, Jan realizes her husband may be in trouble and she makes contact with the base camp. Mountain guide Guy Cotter, reporting from the camp, urges Hall to leave Hansen behind and save himself.

The members of the expedition discover the confused Weathers. While Jan waits for the next call, Hall tries to bring Hansen to safety. He is too late and Hansen joins the chorus, which represents those who have died climbing Mt. Everest. Hall reports Hansen's death to the base camp via radio and asks for Cotter's help in establishing telephone contact with Jan.

At 2:00 AM on May 11, the other members of the expedition begin to leave one by one. Hall contacts his wife. They agree on the name "Sarah" for their unborn child and assure themselves of their love just before Hall dies, joining Hansen in the chorus. Weathers, still hallucinating, hears his daughter calling for him in the distance and finally reaches the base camp.

Structure

The authors stated they did not wish the opera to be a standard "heroic epic." [4] Thus, the plot is composed of individual report fragments and flashbacks, rather than being told in a linear fashion, and the characters' motivations are deliberately left unclear. [14] [15]

The music sounds contemporary modern, but is nevertheless based on traditional harmonics and emotionally shaped. [15] In the vocal parts, Talbot refers to traditional forms by means of indications such as "aria" or "quartet." [13] The orchestral sound fabric ties in with minimal music that is akin to that of John Adams. [16] [4] At the same time, there are references to Giacomo Puccini, Leonard Bernstein, Benjamin Britten or Igor Stravinsky. There is a focus on rhythm and the spectrum of timbres, with numerous sound effects such as the crackling radio or the howling of the wind. [13] [17] The mountain itself has its own voice, produced by the low wind instruments and percussion, [15] and inspired by the slow cracking movements of glacial masses over rocky ground. [18]

Elements of dance music were particularly considered in the 2018 Hagen production. [13]

Instrumentation

The instrumentation consists of: [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bluebeards Castle</i> 1918 opera by Béla Bartók

Duke Bluebeard's Castle is a one-act Symbolist opera by composer Béla Bartók to a Hungarian libretto by his friend and poet Béla Balázs. Based on the French folk legend, or conte populaire, as told by Charles Perrault, it lasts about an hour and deploys just two singing characters: Bluebeard and his newest wife Judith ; the two have just eloped and she is coming home to his castle for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Burdette</span> American bass

Kevin Burdette is an American bass who has worked as a soloist with the Teatro alla Scala, Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Teatro Colón, Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and the Spoleto Festival USA, as well as many regional opera companies including Florentine Opera, Opéra de Québec, Portland Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Atlanta Opera, Virginia Opera, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Memphis, Gotham Chamber Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Toledo Opera, and the Lyric Opera of San Antonio. In 2015, he created the roles of Beck Weathers in Joby Talbot's Everest, Blindman and Stobrod Thewes in Jennifer Higdon's Cold Mountain, Eric Gold and the Ghost of Bazzetti in Jake Heggie's Great Scott, and Ob in Mark Adamo's Becoming Santa Claus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasuko Namba</span> Japanese mountain climber (1949–1996)

Yasuko Namba was the second Japanese woman to climb the Seven Summits. Namba worked as a businesswoman for Federal Express in Japan, but her hobby of mountaineering took her all over the world. She first summited Kilimanjaro on New Year's Day in 1982, and summited Aconcagua exactly two years later. She reached the summit of Denali on July 1, 1985, and the summit of Mount Elbrus on August 1, 1992. After summiting Vinson Massif on December 29, 1993, and Carstensz Pyramid on November 12, 1994, Namba's final summit to reach was Mount Everest. She signed on with Rob Hall's guiding company, Adventure Consultants, and reached the summit in May 1996, but died during her descent in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.

<i>La création du monde</i> Ballet by Darius Milhaud

La Création du monde, Op. 81a, is a 15-minute-long ballet composed by Darius Milhaud in 1922–23 to a libretto by Blaise Cendrars, which outlines the creation of the world based on African folk mythology. The premiere took place on 25 October 1923 at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34, is a 1945 musical composition by Benjamin Britten with a subtitle Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell. It was based on the second movement, "Rondeau", of the Abdelazer suite. It was originally commissioned for the British educational documentary film called Instruments of the Orchestra released on 29 November 1946, directed by Muir Mathieson and featuring the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Sargent; Sargent also conducted the concert première on 15 October 1946 with the Liverpool Philharmonic in the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England.

Ivan the Terrible, Op. 116, is the score composed by Sergei Prokofiev for Sergei Eisenstein's film Ivan the Terrible (1942–45) and its sequel (1946), the first two parts of an incomplete trilogy. The project was Prokofiev's second collaboration with Eisenstein, the first being the popular Alexander Nevsky (1938). The majority of the non-liturgical song texts were written by Vladimir Lugovskoy, who collaborated with Prokofiev on the texts for Alexander Nevsky.

<i>The Bassarids</i> Opera by Hans Werner Henze

The Bassarids is an opera in one act and an intermezzo, with music by Hans Werner Henze to an English libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, after Euripides's The Bacchae.

<i>König Hirsch</i> Opera by Hans Werner Henze

König Hirsch is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to a German libretto by Heinz von Cramer after Il re cervo, a theatrical fable (1762) by Carlo Gozzi. He revised it as Il re cervo, premiered in 1963 at the Staatstheater Kassel.

<i>Intermezzo</i> (opera) 1924 opera by Richard Strauss

Intermezzo, Op. 72, is a comic opera in two acts by Richard Strauss to his own German libretto, described as a Bürgerliche Komödie mit sinfonischen Zwischenspielen. It premiered at the Dresden Semperoper on 4 November 1924, with sets that reproduced Strauss' home in Garmisch. The first Vienna performance was in January 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beck Weathers</span> American writer (born 1946)

Seaborn Beck Weathers is an American pathologist from Texas. He survived the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, which was covered in Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air (1997), its film adaptation Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997), and the films Everest (1998) and Everest (2015). His autobiographical book, titled Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest (2000) includes his ordeal, but also describes his life before and afterward, as he focused on saving his damaged relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 Mount Everest disaster</span> Death of eight climbers

The 1996 Mount Everest disaster occurred on 10–11 May 1996 when eight climbers caught in a blizzard died on Mount Everest while attempting to descend from the summit. Over the entire season, 12 people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest season on Mount Everest at the time and the third deadliest after the 23 fatalities resulting from avalanches caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 16 fatalities of the 2014 Mount Everest avalanche. The 1996 disaster received widespread publicity and raised questions about the commercialization of Everest.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a ballet in three acts by Christopher Wheeldon with a scenario by Nicholas Wright, based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It was commissioned by The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, and the National Ballet of Canada, and had its world premiere on Monday, 28 February 2011. The music by Joby Talbot is the first full-length score for the Royal Ballet in 20 years. It is also the first full-length narrative ballet commissioned by The Royal Ballet since 1995.

<i>Into Thin Air: Death on Everest</i> 1997 television film directed by Robert Markowitz

Into Thin Air: Death on Everest is a 1997 disaster television film based on Jon Krakauer's memoir Into Thin Air (1997). The film, directed by Robert Markowitz and written by Robert J. Avrech, tells the story of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. It was broadcast on ABC on November 9, 1997.

<i>Everest</i> (2015 film) 2015 film directed by Baltasar Kormákur

Everest is a 2015 biographical survival adventure film directed and produced by Baltasar Kormákur and written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy. It stars an ensemble cast of Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Martin Henderson and Emily Watson. It is based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, and focuses on the survival attempts of two expedition groups, one led by Rob Hall (Clarke) and the other by Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal). Kormákur, Universal, Walden Media, Cross Creek and Working Title dedicated the film to the late British actress Natasha Richardson.

Symphony No. 10 is the tenth symphony by the American composer Philip Glass. The work was commissioned by the Orchestre Français des Jeunes and premiered August 9, 2012, with Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Orchestre Français des Jeunes at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix-en-Provence. The piece had its United Kingdom premiere July 31, 2013 at The Proms in Royal Albert Hall.

American Journey is a six-part orchestral composition by the American composer John Williams. The piece was commissioned by U.S. President Bill Clinton to accompany a multimedia presentation titled The Unfinished Journey directed by Steven Spielberg for the 2000 "Millennium" celebrations. The work premiered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on New Year's Eve, 1999.

Andrew Michael Harris, commonly known by his nickname Andy Harris, was a New Zealand mountain guide who died in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Harris was one of the guides for the Adventure Consultants' 1996 Everest expedition, led by Rob Hall. It was Harris's first attempt to summit Mount Everest, though he had extensive climbing experience in New Zealand.

<i>Momo and the Time Thieves</i>

Momo and the Time Thieves is a Danish-language opera in two acts by Svitlana Azarova. The libretto, based on the 1973 children's book Momo by Michael Ende, was written by Anna Bro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boy Scouts of America (march)</span> March by John Philip Sousa

Boy Scouts of America is a march composed by John Philip Sousa in 1916 upon the request of Charles D. Hart. Sousa dedicated it to the Boy Scouts of America. It was premiered in October 1916 at the Metropolitan Opera House. The cover sheet features a photograph of a statuette R. Tait McKenzie's The Ideal Scout. It is considered one of the best marches Sousa ever composed, with The Reading Times writing that the march proved that the "noted composer still retains the name of 'March King'".

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Liberation Through Hearing is the first opera by American composer Ricky Ian Gordon. The libretto is from Jean-Claude van Itallie's theatrical adaptation of Buddhist teachings,Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not to Do It Again.

References

  1. ↑ Waleson, Heidi (February 3, 2015). "Tragedy Makes for the Peak of Drama". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Production information at Music Sales Classical, accessed July 6, 2018.
  3. ↑ Womack, Catherine (February 2, 2015). "With Everest, The Dallas Opera Looks Forward". D Magazine . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 Heidi Waleson, Marc Staudacher (Übersetzung): "Fragmente der Verzweiflung", review of the premiere in Dallas, 2015, in: Opernwelt , March 2015, p. 44.
  5. 1 2 Hobson, Louis B. (June 24, 2019). "Billy Elliot en pointe with Five Betty Awards". Calgary Herald . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ Kucharski, Joe. "The Costumes of Dallas Opera's Everest". Tyranny of Style. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ Cantrell, Scott (May 6, 2017). "Dallas Opera's 'Everest' is revived in semi-staged form with a new Prelude for national opera conference". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ↑ Portner, Alan (November 13, 2017). "BWW Review: EVEREST at Lyric Opera f Kansas City". BroadwayWorld . Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ Rankin, Bill (February 7, 2019). "Hardy Opera Buffs Cheer Climbers in Harrowing Everest". Classical Voice North America. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ Theater Hagen: Everest, program booklet Nr. 10, 2017/2018 season.
  11. ↑ Yvonne Hinz: "Oper Everest lässt Hagener Theaterbesucher frösteln", announcement of the 2018 Hagen production, in: Westfalenpost, April 28, 2018, accessed July 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ Uwe Schweikert: "Kampf gegen den Absturz", review of the 2018 Hagen staging, in: Opernwelt , July 2018, p. 71.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Francis Hüsers: "Ein Berg als Metapher – Everest in Hagen", in: Theater Hagen: Everest, program booklet Nr. 10, 2017/2018 season, pp. 11–13.
  14. ↑ Weuste, David (February 2015). "Everest Brings Dallas Opera to New Heights". OperaPulse. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 Rudolf Hermes: "Muß man gesehen haben...", review of the 2018 staging in Hagen 2018, in: Der Opernfreund, May 6, 2018, accessed July 6, 2018.
  16. ↑ Fred Cohn: "Everest & La Wally" Archived 2018-07-07 at the Wayback Machine , review of the premiere in Dallas 2015, in: Opera News , January 30, 2015, accessed July 6, 2018.
  17. ↑ Andreas Falentin: "Magic Mountain" Archived 2018-07-07 at the Wayback Machine , review of the 2018 staging in Hagen, in: Die Deutsche Bühne May 7, 2018, accessed July 6, 2018.
  18. ↑ Corinna Jarosch: "Joby Talbot: Mit Musik Geschichten erzählen", in: Theater Hagen: Everest, program booklet Nr. 10, 2017/2018 season, pp. 9–10.

Further reading

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.