Fire Shut Up in My Bones

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Fire Shut Up in My Bones
Opera by Terence Blanchard
Librettist Kasi Lemmons
LanguageEnglish
Based on Charles M. Blow's memoir Fire Shut Up in My Bones
Premiere
June 15, 2019 (2019-06-15)
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Fire Shut Up in My Bones is an English-language opera in three acts, with music by Terence Blanchard and libretto by Kasi Lemmons.

Contents

The opera was first performed at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2019, and is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Charles M. Blow. It opened the Metropolitan Opera season in 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic, and was the first opera by a black composer ever performed there in the Met's 138 year history. Fire returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 2024.

The narrative focus of the opera is on Charles, a young African-American man growing up in poverty. As he comes of age, he must decide how to deal with the sexual abuse he previously suffered at the hands of his cousin. At the climax, he decides not to take revenge. The opera includes flashbacks and the appearance of the protagonist's internal voices in the form of female spirits.

In reviews, critics have tended to focus on the historical importance of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera production. Blanchard's music has divided critics, both in terms of the quality of the score and his influences.

Background

Composer Terence Blanchard performing in Rotterdam in 2014 Terence Blanchard Lantaren Venster 16-5-2014 - Terence Blanchard (29700874535).jpg
Composer Terence Blanchard performing in Rotterdam in 2014

Blanchard described Fire Shut Up in My Bones as "opera in jazz". [1] It is the composer's second opera, following Champion in 2013. Aside from opera, Blanchard has won five Grammy Awards for his jazz records. [2] He is also a noted film composer and has been nominated twice for Academy Award for Best Original Score, for Spike Lee movies BlacKkKlansman and Da 5 Bloods. [3] The title of the opera, which is also the title of Blow's memoir, [4] [5] is a biblical reference, specifically quoting Jeremiah 20:9. [6]

Whilst the opera's libretto and narrative reflect the content and themes of Blow's memoir, it is not a comprehensive retelling of the book. The essential elements are reflective of Blow's life. As noted by Patricia J. Williams in a review of the book: "He grows up amid mean if not absolute poverty; he is molested both by a cousin and by an uncle; his father is distant, an alcoholic; and his parents separate under circumstances that involve his mother waving a gun about on more than one occasion". [7]

Performance history

The opera made its world premiere on June 15, 2019, at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. [8] [9] The conductor of the premiere performance was William Long. Performers included Julia Bullock and Davóne Tines. [10]

The Metropolitan Opera's 2021–2022 season opened with Fire Shut Up in My Bones on September 27, 2021. It was the first opera by an African-American composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera since its founding in 1883. [11] [12] The conductor was Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The co-director and choreographer was Camille A. Brown. [13] Fire Shut Up in My Bones had not been intended as a season opener at the Metropolitan Opera, but general manager Peter Gelb stated that the Black Lives Matter movement had informed his decision to move the piece to such a prominent slot. [14] It was recorded as part of the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD film series [15] and the recording won a Grammy for Best Opera Recording in 2023. [16] [17] [18]

The Lyric Opera of Chicago presented the opera in March/April 2022. These performances were conducted by Daniela Candillari. [19]

Fire Shut Up in My Bones returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 2024, with the bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Charles, with Evan Rogister conducting. [20]

Roles

Roles, voice types, and premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, June 15, 2019
Conductor: William Long [9]
Charles (adult) bass-baritone Davóne Tines
Char’es-Baby (Charles, as a boy) treble voice Jeremy Denis
Chester, Charles' cousin baritone Markel Reed
Destiny/Loneliness, apparition soprano Julia Bullock
Billie, Charles' mothersopranoKaren Slack
Spinner, Billie's husband tenor Chaz’men Williams-Ali
GretasopranoJulia Bullock

Synopsis

The story is based on the memoir of journalist Charles M. Blow (pictured) Hearst Lecture Charles Blow 007 (33695803268).jpg
The story is based on the memoir of journalist Charles M. Blow (pictured)

Act 1

Charles Blow, age 20, drives down a Louisiana backroad with a gun in the passenger seat. Destiny sings to him, calling him back to his childhood home. He begins reliving memories from his childhood.

Charles’ seven-year-old self, Char’es-Baby, talks to his mother, Billie. He is desperate for affection, but Billie is too frazzled to give him the validation that he craves. They are dirt poor. Billie works in a chicken factory, but she dreams of Char’es-Baby getting a good education and escaping their town. Her husband, Spinner, is a womanizing spendthrift. When she hears that he’s flirting with other women, she confronts him at gunpoint. She doesn’t shoot, but Billie tosses Spinner out. Billie and her five sons move in with Uncle Paul. Char’es-Baby dreams of a different life, collecting “treasure” from the junkyard while Loneliness sings to him. One day, his cousin Chester comes to visit. When Chester sexually abuses him, he is too horrified and ashamed to say anything.

Adult Charles begins to weep as he recoils from these memories, while Destiny reminds him that there is no escape.

Act 2

As Charles grows into a teenager, he is full of confusion and rage. He attends a church service where the pastor is baptizing people, promising that God can wipe all sins clean. Charles decides to get baptized, but phantom terrors still haunt him. Charles tries to talk to his brothers, but they refuse to engage in any “soft talk.” Loneliness reappears, promising to be his lifelong companion. Evelyn, a beautiful young girl, interrupts Charles’s reverie. Their chemistry is clear. Charles feels a new sense of independence and is finally ready to strike out on his own; Grambling State University has offered him a full scholarship. Billie is left alone to reflect on all that she has sacrificed for her family and wonders what might lie ahead.

Act 3

Charles is one of several fraternity pledges being hazed at his college. Charles stoically takes each indignity in stride: Pain is nothing new for him. Later, he goes to a nightclub and meets an attractive young woman, Greta. They begin a passionate love affair. Charles eventually shares his awful secret with Greta, only to find out that she’s still seeing someone else. Charles is left alone again. He calls home, desperate to hear his mother’s voice. To his shock, Billie tells him that Chester has come back to visit. Charles instantly decides to return home to confront Chester, gun in hand.

Charles sits in his car on the dark road, contemplating the choice lying before him. Destiny starts to sing to him once again, seductively promising to stand by him through to the bloody end. As Charles reaches his childhood home, Char’es-Baby appears, urging him to leave his bitterness behind. Charles must decide whether to exact his revenge or begin his life anew. [21]

Reception

Music

Regarding the composition, critics were divided on Blanchard's influences and on the effectiveness of the score. Giovanni Russonello and Seth Colter Walls of the New York Times wrote that the music is generally based on Italian opera, but Blanchard's jazz influence is also audible. [22] Describing Blanchard's music, Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune disagreed with other critics who emphasize Blanchard's jazz influence, saying 'Rather, under the baton of Daniela Candillari, you hear Blanchard’s driving confidence in operatic mode, both harmonic and dissident, both aware of European formative precedent and sharply critical in subtle ways." [23] Writing in a review of the 2024 revival, Kevin Ng felt "Blanchard’s score deftly integrates jazz and gospel into an operatic framework". [24]

Writing in Bachtrack in a review of the 2024 production, Susan Stemplesk wrote that the score contains "no memorable melodies", calling it "plodding" and "fundamentally bland". Describing the music, she wrote she could find nothing to praise other than "some toe-tapping tunes in a melodramatic mélange of jazz, blues and gospel with traces of big band brass." [25] Lawrence A. Johnson had expressed similar opinions in his review of the 2022 Chicago production, saying that the "almost unrelievedly bland" score is "cast in a kind of noodling jazz-piano lounge style". [26]

2019 Opera Theatre Saint Louis

Reviewing the premiere for the New York Times , Anthony Tommasini described the music variety of Blanchard's score: "Restless vocal lines shift from plaintive lyrical phrases, to sputtered outbursts, to a style that seems a jazz equivalent of Italianate arioso". Though noting that the opera tends to "melodramatic excess", Tommaisini praised the "brilliantly simple, evocative production", and singled out Julia Bullock and Davóne Tines in leading roles as "ravishing" and "terrifyingly volatile" respectively. [9]

2021 Metropolitan Opera

Angel Blue received praise for her role in the 2021 Met Opera production Angel Blue backstage at Wigmore Hall.jpg
Angel Blue received praise for her role in the 2021 Met Opera production

In reviews of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera production, critics praised the interpretation of the lead role as the adult Charles by baritone Will Liverman, who critics described as "subtle", "nuanced" and "powerful". There were, however, concerns that he was at times overwhelmed by the orchestra. [27]

In a review for Parterre Box Gabrielle Ferrari wrote "Blanchard's score is richly colored and beautifully orchestrated". With regard to the storytelling and characterization, she went on to say the score was written "mainly with a clear-eyed compassion for his characters, to whom he never condescends nor condemns". [28]

Writing for Vulture , critic Justin Davidson opined in an otherwise positive review that "in their enthusiasm, composer and conductor sometimes seem to have forgotten about the singers, who struggle to be heard over all the engaging churn". Davidson also stated that Fire Shut Up in My Bones was a conventional opera which did not "blow up the genre". [4]

In his review James Jorden called Fire "an opera with legs" and predicted many future revivals. He further stated that "At its current length of two and a half hours, Fire Shut Up in My Bones is in the running for best American opera of the 21st century. Trimmed of perhaps 20 minutes... I think it would be a clear winner." [29]

Alex Ross of The New Yorker praised Angel Blue for her performance of the two "inner voice" roles as well as the role of Greta, describing her as "soaring above the orchestra". [8]

Walter Russell III, as the younger Charles, received acclaim from the audience and critics. He was 13 years old at the time of the production. [30]

2022 Lyric Opera of Chicago

Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune praised Liverman, who retained the lead role of Charles, describing his performance as having an "aching vulnerability". In his review, Jones emphasized the "historical weight" of the opera, and called it "a voyage of considerable complexity". [23]

2024 Metropolitan Opera

Zachary Woolfe, writing for the New York Times, gave a mixed review for the return of Fire to the Met. He emphasised the historic nature of the first production, which he felt had given it a sense of occasion that could not be matched by the revival. Woolfe praised Ryan Speedo Green in the recast lead role of Charles, calling his tone "focused and secure". However, he felt that the opera's shortcomings were clearer in the second production, saying that the first production had an "exhilarating sense of occasion" which was absent in its second run. Woolfe wrote that the highlight of the performance was the choreography by Camille A. Brown, concluding "it says something about an opera when its most memorable moments are dance.". [20]

Writing for the Financial Times, Kevin Ng was more positive in a four-star review, saying that Fire "seems to hold its own in its latest revival". Ng felt Ryan Speedo Green succeeded as Charles (having played a minor role in the previous Met Opera production of Fire) saying his "voice of Wagnerian proportions" effectively conveyed both rage and vulnerability, and Ng wrote also praised Latonia Moore as Charles's mother, writing that her "voluptuous, richly coloured soprano" brought depth to her character. The fraternity step dance in Act III was described as a standout moment, eliciting an "enthusiasm rarely heard in the Met's auditorium." Ng credited conductor Evan Rogister with bringing "clarity and fluidity" to Blanchard's "heavy orchestration". [24]

2023 Grammy Award

The audio recording of the stage production won a 2023 Grammy for Best Opera Recording [31] [32] with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and The Metropolitan Opera Chorus, along with Nézet-Séguin, producer David Frost, baritone Will Liverman, sopranos Latonia Moore and Blue and treble Russell III, making him one of the youngest recipients of the awards at the time. [33]

Video recording

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References

  1. ↑ Saccoccia, Susan (October 26, 2021). "Terence Blanchard's 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' opera to air Wednesday, Oct. 27". www.baystatebanner.com. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ Smith, David (October 6, 2021). "'It was much bigger than me': Terence Blanchard on being the Met Opera's first Black composer". The Guardian . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  3. ↑ Burlingame, Jon (March 16, 2021). "More Oscar History Made as Two Black Composers Are Nominated for Best Original Score". Variety. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Davidson, Justin (September 28, 2021). "The Met Comes Alight Again With Shut Up in My Bones". vulture.com . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ Rockwell, John (September 28, 2021). "Fire Shut Up in My Bones makes Met Opera history". Financial Times . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Jeremiah 20:9 NRSV". www.biblegateway.com. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ Williams, Patricia (October 3, 2014). "Putting Down the Gun". New York Times . Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Ross, Alex (October 18, 2021). "The Tense, Turbulent Sounds of Fire Shut Up in My Bones". The New Yorker . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Tommasini, Anthony (June 16, 2019). "Review: The Wrenching Fire Shut Up in My Bones Becomes an Opera". The New York Times . Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  10. ↑ Lentjes, Rebecca (June 11, 2019). "Playbill: Speaking Out – A New Opera Premieres at Opera Theatre Saint Louis". St. Louis Symphony Orchestra . Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony (September 28, 2021). "Review: Fire Shut Up in My Bones brings a Black Composer to the Met, Finally". The New York Times . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  12. ↑ Leparmentier, Arnaud (October 21, 2021). "La partition engagée de Terence Blanchard au Metropolitan Opera". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  13. ↑ Kourlas, Gia (October 18, 2021). "How Fire Shut Up in My Bones Brought a Step to the Met". The New York Times . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ Chinen, Nate (September 28, 2021). "Terence Blanchard's Met Opera Debut Is a Singular Achievement and a Shared Success". NPR . Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ Lloyd, Gilly. "Met Opera screens Blanchard's 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' 'Live in HD'". artspreview.net. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Renée Fleming & Joyce DiDonato Lead Classical Grammy Nominations". operawire.com. November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Artist:Yannick Nézet-Séguin". grammy.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Montreal conductor wins best opera recording, best classical solo vocal album at Grammys". www.cbc.ca. February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  19. ↑ Production details, Lyric Opera of Chicago
  20. 1 2 Woolfe, Zachary (April 9, 2024). "'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' Review: A Met Milestone Returns". The New York Times . Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Synopsis: Fire Shut Up in My Bones". metopera.org. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ Russonello, Giovanni; Colter Walls, Seth (October 5, 2021). "Jazz and Opera Come Together in 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones'". The New York Times . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  23. 1 2 Jones, Chris. "Review: 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' at Lyric Opera is Terence Blanchard's groundbreaking work, full of joy and pain". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  24. 1 2 Ng, Kevin (April 11, 2024). "Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Metropolitan Opera review — revival sets the stage alight". Financial Times . Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  25. ↑ Stempleski, Susan. "Terence Blanchard's problematic Fire Shut Up in My Bones returns to the Met". bachtrack.com. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  26. ↑ Johnson, Lawrence. "Weak music fails to ignite a compelling story in Lyric Opera's "Fire Shut Up in My Bones"". chicagoclassicalreview.com. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  27. ↑ Brodeur, Michael. "With debut of Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Met, a watershed moment for American opera". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  28. ↑ Ferrari, Gabrielle. "Playing with 'Fire'". Parterre Box . Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  29. ↑ Jorden, James (September 28, 2021). "Premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones Sets the Reopened Met Ablaze". The New York Observer . Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  30. ↑ Blum, Ronald (September 28, 2021). "Metropolitan Opera returns, with its first-ever work by a Black composer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  31. ↑ "The Metropolitan Opera wins 2023 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones". www.metopera.org. February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Metropolitan Opera & Renée Fleming Lead Grammy Winners". operawire.com. February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Grammys 2023: 13-Year-Old Walter Russell III Creates History by Becoming One of the Youngest Winners!". www.latestly.com. February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  34. ↑ Fire Shut Up in My Bones, October 23, 2021, Met Opera on Demand website; Met Opera Archive: Performance of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, October 23, 2021, CID:357485.
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