Many of us wage a constant battle against ants and other insects. But what if ants and humans were the same size? Lisa Codrington's libretto tells a humorous story of such an encounter, with colonial overtones...
The Colony
Libretto by Lisa Codrington
Music by Kevin Morse
Queen of the Amazon Ants (mezzo soprano)
Subject (soprano)
Herbert J. Hanson, Ant Exterminator (tenor)
Inside the ant colony, the queen interrogates the subject on the recent extermination of all the ants in the colony except themselves. After a meditation on the superiority and hardiness of Amazon ants, Herbert pushes a large piece of chocolate cake onto the stage, which the subject hungrily approaches. The queen realizes the ploy, and the two ants put on their gas masks and run for cover as Herbert sprays the immediate area with smoke. Herbert, laughing, exits as the two ants re-emerge and the queen orders the subject to bring Herbert to her so she can mate with him. Herbert re-enters, and after a short aria, is surprised by the subject, who subdues him after a heated battle. She then drags him off to the colony.
When Herbert regains consciousness, he finds himself tied to a chair. The queen introduces herself and after accusing him of exterminating nearly the entire colony, expresses her wish to mate with him. After a heated duet, Herbert turns to the subject and informs her that she not only has been stolen from a neighboring ant colony before she hatched, but that she is actually a carpenter ant, not an Amazon. After more heated argument, the queen informs Herbert that it is time to mate. Herbert buys some time by suggesting a mating dance, to which the queen reluctantly agrees. Herbert dances first, after which the queen takes her turn and then reclines upon the ground. Herbert siezes the opportunity and pins her down with his foot. The queen begs the subject to help her, but the subject refuses to come to her aid. Herbert then sprays the queen with an aerosol spray, and she falls to the ground. Herbert offers a truce with the subject, which she accepts, but before she can touch his outstretched hand, Herbert sprays the subject with a fatal dose of bugspray. Herbert triumphantly leaves the stage. The queen regains consciousness, sings of her determination to continue the fight against human domination, and leaves the stage in pursuit of Herbert.
You can read more about Lisa Codrington at Africlassical. Opera To Go 2008 is a presentation of Tapestry Opera Works and runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
Showing posts with label Opera To Go 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opera To Go 2008. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2008
Opera To Go 2008: The Translator
Of all the OTG operas, this one was the most challenging, both in its subject matter and the level of accuracy required of the singers. Kudos to Carla, Jess, Keith, and Calvin for adjusting so quickly and with great vocal precision to an unfamiliar electronic style that packs a huge emotional punch in an opera that goes to a place most of us would rather not think about.
The Translator
Libretto by Leanna Brodie
Music By David Ogborn
Video by Jarek Obsadny
Alessandra Jensen (mezzo soprano)
Crane (baritone)
Man (soprano)
Woman (tenor)
This work is written for voices and live electronics controlled via laptop by David Ogborn.
At a CIA black site, Alessandra Jensen translates the words of suspected terrorists from Pashtun to English as they are tortured by US forces in order to obtain information. At the beginning of the opera, she is translating a male teenager in obvious distress (offstage, recorded voices). She then watches a group of men pleading for mercy as they are being waterboarded (also via recorded voices offstage). She videotapes the scene with her cellphone and posts it to the internet. A radio announcer states that the White House has declared that the footage, which shows the torture and even possible death of detainees at the hands of US forces, is a hoax.
Alessandra is next seen being lectured by Crane, an officer, about the morally ambiguous world she is forced to inhabit. Crane makes the case that the US is merely trying to win the war, and if they need to bend the rules of engagement, so be it. Alessandra interjects that she has just watched a child die, chanting the poetry of Rahman Baba as he suffered. She rejects his world-view and is sent back to her quarters, where she is visited by a Man and a Woman, representing ordinary Americans who talk to her about fear, the desire for security, manifest destiny, the disappearance of jobs and health care, rising debt, etc. Alessandra is tormented by these voices and eventually decides to commit suicide by hanging while her cellphone is videotaping. As she walks offstage to her doom, a radio voice states that a spokesman for the White House has declared that the videotape of Alessandra Jensen hanging herself is a hoax.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
The Translator
Libretto by Leanna Brodie
Music By David Ogborn
Video by Jarek Obsadny
Alessandra Jensen (mezzo soprano)
Crane (baritone)
Man (soprano)
Woman (tenor)
This work is written for voices and live electronics controlled via laptop by David Ogborn.
At a CIA black site, Alessandra Jensen translates the words of suspected terrorists from Pashtun to English as they are tortured by US forces in order to obtain information. At the beginning of the opera, she is translating a male teenager in obvious distress (offstage, recorded voices). She then watches a group of men pleading for mercy as they are being waterboarded (also via recorded voices offstage). She videotapes the scene with her cellphone and posts it to the internet. A radio announcer states that the White House has declared that the footage, which shows the torture and even possible death of detainees at the hands of US forces, is a hoax.
Alessandra is next seen being lectured by Crane, an officer, about the morally ambiguous world she is forced to inhabit. Crane makes the case that the US is merely trying to win the war, and if they need to bend the rules of engagement, so be it. Alessandra interjects that she has just watched a child die, chanting the poetry of Rahman Baba as he suffered. She rejects his world-view and is sent back to her quarters, where she is visited by a Man and a Woman, representing ordinary Americans who talk to her about fear, the desire for security, manifest destiny, the disappearance of jobs and health care, rising debt, etc. Alessandra is tormented by these voices and eventually decides to commit suicide by hanging while her cellphone is videotaping. As she walks offstage to her doom, a radio voice states that a spokesman for the White House has declared that the videotape of Alessandra Jensen hanging herself is a hoax.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Opera To Go 2008: She sees her lover in the light of morning
A story about an unexpected encounter and innocence rediscovered...
She sees her lover in the light of morning
Libretto by Leanna Brodie
Music by Craig Galbraith
Characters:
Agnieska (soprano)
Sumana (mezzo soprano)
Scene 1. Agnieska, a thirty-something graduate student, brings Sumana, a much younger undergraduate, back to her apartment after having met in a bar. Sumana energetically admires the book-filled apartment, while Agnieska remains silent. While Sumana is in the bathroom, talking constantly, Agnieska finally breaks her silence and sings the names of her former lovers, all of whom she parted from on bad terms. When Sumana returns, Agnieska is reluctant to make any advances on Sumana, fully aware of what the consequences of her past relationships have been, but Sumana finally convinces her of how important this moment is to her, and they kiss.
Scene 2. The next morning. Sumana is still asleep and Agnieska returns, having left to make coffee. Agnieska sings an aria about how Sumana has brought her happiness, although unaware yet of just how painful love can be. Sumana wakes, and the two sing a duet, at the end of which the two are moved to laughter, and collapse into each other's arms.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
She sees her lover in the light of morning
Libretto by Leanna Brodie
Music by Craig Galbraith
Characters:
Agnieska (soprano)
Sumana (mezzo soprano)
Scene 1. Agnieska, a thirty-something graduate student, brings Sumana, a much younger undergraduate, back to her apartment after having met in a bar. Sumana energetically admires the book-filled apartment, while Agnieska remains silent. While Sumana is in the bathroom, talking constantly, Agnieska finally breaks her silence and sings the names of her former lovers, all of whom she parted from on bad terms. When Sumana returns, Agnieska is reluctant to make any advances on Sumana, fully aware of what the consequences of her past relationships have been, but Sumana finally convinces her of how important this moment is to her, and they kiss.
Scene 2. The next morning. Sumana is still asleep and Agnieska returns, having left to make coffee. Agnieska sings an aria about how Sumana has brought her happiness, although unaware yet of just how painful love can be. Sumana wakes, and the two sing a duet, at the end of which the two are moved to laughter, and collapse into each other's arms.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
Opera To Go 2008: The Shaman's Tale
Over the next few days, I'll be writing about each of the 7 operas featured on Tapestry New Opera Works' Opera To Go 2008...
The Shaman's Tale
Libretto by Krista Dalby
Composed by Kevin Morse
Characters:
The Shaman (baritone)
Woman (soprano)
Man (tenor)
The Shaman enters and tells the story of a man and a woman that tried to have a child but were unsuccessful. The Man and Woman enter (operating large puppets) and tell the Shaman that they will do anything in order to have a child. The Shaman replies that they must travel to the ocean and retrieve the great pearl at the bottom of the ocean. The Man and Woman bow to the Shaman and leave. As they make their journey to the sea, they discover the beauty of the world and are welcomed by farmers in the towns they travel through. Finally, they reach the sea. The Man dives into the ocean, retrieves the pearl, and returns to the surface. When he presents the pearl to the Woman, she realizes that the pearl was in fact a stopper for the ocean, which has begun to drain, which would cause all the fish, people, and plants that depend on it to die. She grabs the pearl, dives into the ocean, and replaces the pearl. Distraught, the Man weeps. The Man and Woman then exit for their journey home. The Shaman takes up the story and tells of how they remembered this story for the rest of their lives, and whenever they grew sad, "they thought of the sea and knew it was a small price to pay."
Much of the action of this story is told through puppets. The Woman and Man operate 12-foot-high puppets as they sing the roles. In addition, there is a screen at the centre of the stage behind which shadow puppets act out other parts of the action, such as the journey to the sea and the underwater sequences. Check out the Tapestry blog for pictures of the making of the puppets by Clay and Paper Theatre.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
The Shaman's Tale
Libretto by Krista Dalby
Composed by Kevin Morse
Characters:
The Shaman (baritone)
Woman (soprano)
Man (tenor)
The Shaman enters and tells the story of a man and a woman that tried to have a child but were unsuccessful. The Man and Woman enter (operating large puppets) and tell the Shaman that they will do anything in order to have a child. The Shaman replies that they must travel to the ocean and retrieve the great pearl at the bottom of the ocean. The Man and Woman bow to the Shaman and leave. As they make their journey to the sea, they discover the beauty of the world and are welcomed by farmers in the towns they travel through. Finally, they reach the sea. The Man dives into the ocean, retrieves the pearl, and returns to the surface. When he presents the pearl to the Woman, she realizes that the pearl was in fact a stopper for the ocean, which has begun to drain, which would cause all the fish, people, and plants that depend on it to die. She grabs the pearl, dives into the ocean, and replaces the pearl. Distraught, the Man weeps. The Man and Woman then exit for their journey home. The Shaman takes up the story and tells of how they remembered this story for the rest of their lives, and whenever they grew sad, "they thought of the sea and knew it was a small price to pay."
Much of the action of this story is told through puppets. The Woman and Man operate 12-foot-high puppets as they sing the roles. In addition, there is a screen at the centre of the stage behind which shadow puppets act out other parts of the action, such as the journey to the sea and the underwater sequences. Check out the Tapestry blog for pictures of the making of the puppets by Clay and Paper Theatre.
Opera To Go 2008 runs through February 23rd at the EnWave Theatre in Toronto as part of the Harbourfront Centre's World Stage 08.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)