User talk:Zinna04

April 1, 2009 TITLE Mark Adamo, the composer of Little Women and most recently Lystsatra: The Naked Goddess, is at once the most and least likely candidate to open the path of opera in America. He was trained in playwriting at Tisch University, and then in composition at the Catholic University of America. Little Women is his first commercially successful piece, and first opera he ever wrote. In the five years following its premier with Houston Opera, it was performed 22 times, including a tour of Japan. How does such an unknown composer become the Next Big Thing? And how does a vaguely bland story about four unassuming sisters in post-civil war America become a smash hit? To answer these questions, it is necessary to look back briefly at the history of opera. Opera hasn't always been in the state of jeopardy that has become it's home in the past fifty or so years. The Metropolitan Opera Repertory Report states that the five most performed operas (La Boheme, Aida, Carmen, La Traviata, and Tosca) were all premiered at the Met between the years of 1883-1901. In slightly more than two decades, five operas were created and remained on top for the next 100 years. Granted, these operas were all composed in the art form's hey-day. New productions were being written and staged all the time. With no cinema or TV, the theater was the only “grand' entertainment available to both the masses and the rich. When public support is that strong, returns are guaranteed and investors have no trouble sending their money into productions. Opera's somewhat precarious position now makes widespread appeal difficult. When people think of opera, they think of upper-class bastions of pretension. They picture grandiose sets (which is a bit of a hallmark), lavish costumes on overweight singers, and subject matter that could not possibly interest them nor is accessible because of the language barrier. All of these factors mean that the Joe Average doesn't think opera is written for him, and the average investor doesn't see a safe bet in bringing opera to those masses, because the stereotypes tend to be true. Opera productions are expensive. They tend to be grand and unrelatable to the masses. America has 243 opera companies, 70 of which reside in either California or New York. To spread opera to the rest of the country takes touring companies, and to tour with that level of necessary production value is risky. Little Women was conceived as an intimate show. The story itself is about a family who doesn't have much in the ways of worldly possessions, so the set and costumes can be simple. The plot is intimate and the script requires no special effects, no explosions or other expensive paraphernalia. Often the very topics of operas inhibit their ability to reach audiences. While it is certainly possible to update Mozart and Puccini, much of the plots, and certainly the humor, is lost because of translation or simple cultural distance. Since 1961, American composers are relying more and more on American classic literature as the basis for their operas. For example: The Crucible, composed by Robert Ward in 1961. Of Mice and Men composed by Carlisle Floyd in 1970. The Great Gatsby composed by John Harbison in 1999. Tell-tale Heart composed by Adam Levowitz in 1999. All of these are closer to the American audience for a variety of reasons. They take place on American soil, and audiences are likely to have been introduced to them relatively early- generally in high school. It is rare for an American high schooler to have been exposed to other literature in popular classic opera, such as Le Marriage de Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais. Even so, when Adamo received the proposal for Little Women in 1996(_____) he couldn't see a likely future for it. “I read the book again and I thought, this is the least likely topic. You can't get an opera out of Little Women- you'd drown in amiable events. Where's the battle?” -Mark Adamo Eventually he realized that the missing conflict was hidden within the story instead of between the characters. Adamo decided that the real problem was not between Jo and her sisters, but rather between Jo and change. Jo's mantra therefore becomes “Perfect as we are,” a comment about her sisters, her life and her stability. The world, in turn, argues back -primarily through the voice of Jo's newly engaged sister Meg- '”Things change, Jo.” These two themes become the main musical ideas of the opera. Ironically, those two arguments are at the heart of the conflict of classical music composing right now. An exclusionary attitude has existed ever since Darmstadt. Each camp of new “modern” music breaks out of the old mold and then promptly expects those of its ilk to conform to the standards it has invented. All believe that they are “perfect as they are” until a maverick cries out that “Things Change!” Adamo is the very definition of a post-modern composer if indeed there is one. QUOTES. He uses the most productive means of composition by not limiting himself. He doesn’t choose one or two styles to write in, but instead he uses as many as he deems necessary to get the effect he wishes. In Jo’s Aria “Perfect as we are” MUSICAL ANALYSIS. Ultimately the biggest reason for Little Women's success is its musical accessibility. Classical music has become so complicated and so narrowly focused that it is no wonder audiences can be hard to track down. The average American wants to be entertained, to unwind. If he has to take a course in basic music theory or music history just to understand the surface of a work, then he is completely correct in thinking the work was not composed in his interest. There will always be music for musicians. It is impossible, and certainly imprudent to even suggest such a thing happen, for there can be no creativity when the rules of composition are rooted in censorship. However, several trends of the last fifty years in particular do not lend themselves to audience friendliness. Dodecophany is a very hard pill for audiences to swallow. When the compositional technique of work is more interesting than the music itself, engaging an 'uneducated' audience is exceedingly difficult. Twelve-tone operas exist (i.e Lulu by Alan Berg) but the restrictions of the composition style make characterization hard to navigate. Many strictly electronic styles do not lend themselves to opera either, because they are more concerned with sound itself instead of cohesive emotive melodies which are essential to opera. Aletoric music by its very nature is unlikely, although John Corigliano made effective use of the style in his lavish opera Ghosts of Versailles. Minimalists appear for the most part to have talked themselves into the idea that any plot or program music will limit their free-spirited experimentation, and the one “true” minimalist opera, Einstein on the Beach by Phillip Glass, feels more like a piece of performance art with plot being a distinct anathema. But this is theater, and 'uneducated' audiences need a plot to connect to. One of the most important and most overlooked reason for Little Women's success is its accessibility to young singers. With opera no longer being such a mainstream past time for much of America, the path to keeping it alive rests with the younger generations. These include young singers in high school who discover opera, young singers who enter college to pursue the art form, and young artists who have, or are close to, graduation from their institutions who need exposure and income. This usually comes in the form of young artist programs and competitions. While there is a vast body of work available in opera, there is a less substantial amount of repertoire suitable for the young voice. Singers who choose to compete with arias that they are not ready for will certainly face failure; not because they are not talented, but because there are unwritten rules about what should and should not be attempted at any given age. Because of these rules, many of the same selections are heard over and over again, and any good singer knows that surprising the judges in a positive way is key. Little Women offered seven new arias for the young singer repertoire. Their subject matters are- like the opera- accessible rather than exotic. They are sung by Jo, Beth, Meg, Mr Brooke and Professor Bhaer and each of the seven songs presents a new challenge and a new character. A sort of “something for everyone” sampling of Adamo's versatility. Have Peace, Jo Joy Beyond Measure, Mother Couldn't I Unbake the Breads Madness. No. Mania. No. Things Change, Jo There Was a Knight Kennst du das Land