Contemporary Opera in Flux

Everett, Yayoi U.

doi:doi:10.3998/mpub.11925107

Contemporary Opera in Flux

Edited by Yayoi U. Everett

Open Access

In twelve essays, Contemporary Opera in Flux discusses a series of shifts that, taken together, have radically redefined the production and reception of opera. Focusing on productions involving late twentieth- and twenty-first century scores and libretti, the contributors draw on conversations with members of creative teams and studies of archival material, dipping into a historical record that remains in flux as composers, librettists, directors, and designers revisit existing work and create anew. The contributors to this volume push the boundaries of contemporary opera scholarship by examining works that disrupt operatic conventions; tackle sociopolitical issues such as drug trafficking, racial injustice, and cultural trauma; and advance underrepresented works by female, African-American, Asian, and avant-garde composers around the globe.

Contemporary Opera in Flux bridges the gaps between expanding literature on opera, theater, new music, postmodern dramaturgy, and posthuman aesthetics, while also confronting larger questions of identity, representation, and narrative agency that are at the forefront of contemporary music scholarship. This collection of essays engages critically with the past out of a conviction that, amid general public perceptions of opera as anachronistic or elitist, contemporary opera has emerged as an artistic incubator for experimentation.

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Published: 2024

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

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ISBN(s)

978-0-472-07626-0 (hardcover)
978-0-472-05626-2 (paper)
978-0-472-90358-0 (open access)

Subject

Music:Musicology

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Soprano Simona Eisinger, playing the role of Hari in Neue Oper Wien’s 2021 production of composer Dai Fujikura and librettist Saburo Teshigawara’s opera “Solaris,” holds up and contemplates a knitting needle. Baritone Timothy Connor, playing Kelvin, stares ahead, toward the camera. In the background, a column stands before a large blue circular cutout, representing the planet Solaris.

Photo of Simona Eisinger and Timothy Connor in Neue Oper Wien's production of Solaris (opera), 2021

From Chapter 1

Fig. 1.1. Hari (Simona Eisinger) and Kelvin (Timothy Connor) in Neue Oper Wien’s 2021 Solaris. © Photograph used with permission from Andrej Grilc.

On a stage dominated by designer Etienne Pluss’s futuristic space station interior set, tenor Atalla Ayan and soprano Nicole Car perform in director Claus Guth’s 2017 production of composer Giacomo Puccini and librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa’s opera “La bohème” at the Opéra national de Paris. Ayan sings in the foreground as Car gazes through a large window in the background, outside which a brown planet looms outside the window. Indistinct projections flicker in the top left corner of the image.

Photo of Atalla Ayan and Nicole Car in La bohème at the Paris Opera, 2017

From Chapter 1

Fig. 1.2. Atalla Ayan (Rodolfo) and Nicole Car (Mimì) in Opéra national de Paris’s 2017 La bohème. © Photograph used with permission from Bernd Uhlig and the Opéra national de Paris.

A white, wooden rectangular machine is situated in a museum in Rotterdam, with a metal rod and cylindrical contraption attached to it. It sings an aria composed by Martin Riches. Behind the machine is a black music stand with the score to the aria, and other pieces are displayed and hung on the wall to the right of the machine.

Martin Riches, the Singing Machine (2010-13), with the score of "The Audition" (2019) by Tom Johnson

From Chapter 2

Fig. 2.1. Martin Riches, the Singing Machine (2010–13), with the score of “The Audition” (2019) by Tom Johnson. From Post-Opera, TENT Rotterdam (2019).

In the score to the aria sung by the machine, the text reads, “I must explain. I have a speech impediment. I can only pronounce vowels. So you have to read the text, but that’s true in all opera houses today. And as we have known for a long time, vowels sound much better than consonants. And I can sing very fast and for a long time on one breath. So perhaps someone someday will give me an operatic role anyway. That would be lovely.” The melody of the aria is minimal, oscillating back and forth between D3 and F3, but there is an instruction to apply an extended melisma on the word “fast” and sustain C4 on the word “long.”

Tom Johnson, "The Audition"

From Chapter 2

Fig. 2.2. Tom Johnson, “The Audition.” Score by Editions 75 (Courtesy of author).

The image displays a red-colored robotic machine in a museum. The upper rod is connected to the body of the machine with a thin wire that rotates around it. We think the machine sings through the wire connected to a small speaker at the top.

ABB Robot IRB 1400 in "The Lamentations of Orpheus"

From Chapter 2

Fig. 2.3. ABB Robot IRB 1400 in “The Lamentations of Orpheus”

The image is a virtual projection of the anime character, Hatsune, with bright green-blue hair, blue eyes, clad in a checkered bodysuit. Behind her is another female anime character dancing, covered by an opaque, white orb. There is also a dark blue rectangle to the right of Hatsune.

Hatsune Miku singing in The End

From Chapter 2

Fig. 2.4. Hatsune Miku singing in The End (video still).

The musical excerpt is scored for vibraphone, piano, and string quartet. Violin 1 and cello sing the words “Sarah wanted him to go.” It is predominantly in 6/8 meter with an occasional shift to 9/8 meter. The piano and vibraphone sustain the diatonic chord (G, A, B, E, F) throughout the excerpt.

The Cave, act 1, scene 13—Sarah casts Hagar and Ishmael out, mm. 1–11 (reduced score)

From Chapter 3

Fig. 3.1. The Cave, act 1, scene 13—Sarah Casts Hagar and Ishmael Out, mm. 1–11 (reduced score).

In this score excerpt, the soprano and tenor sing the following words in changing meter: “And she said to Abraham, ‘cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman, shall not inherit with my son Isaac.’” It is accompanied by blocked chords in the ensemble, with frequent changes in key and meter signatures.

The Cave, act 1, scene 12—Genesis XXI, mm. 24–35 (reduced score)

From Chapter 3

Fig. 3.2. The Cave, act 1, scene 12—Genesis XXI, mm. 24–35 (reduced score).

In this score excerpt, vibraphone and sampler keyboard sustain a cluster chord (G, B, D, E, F sharp) while the strings, oboe, English horn, and bass play an angular melody followed by the words “Ismail is the first born” in rhythmic unison. The meter quickly shifts from 2/4, 5/8, to 5/16 before settling on two four again.

The Cave, act 2, scene 4—Sacrifice: Ismael and Ishak, mm. 32–41 (reduced score)

From Chapter 3

Fig. 3.3. The Cave, act 2, scene 4—Sacrifice: Ismael and Ishak, mm. 32–41 (reduced score).

This is a musical excerpt of the song in C major and in 2/4 meter. The English translation of the first verse goes: “They left San Isidoro, proceeding, from Tijuana. They brought car tires full of weed. They were Emilio Varela and Camelia, the Texan.” The vocals are accompanied by bajo, bass guitar, and accordion.

Transcription of “Contrabando y Traición” (mm. 1–28)

From Chapter 4

Fig. 4.1. Transcription of “Contrabando y Traición,” mm. 1–28

El Tigre’s aria is in 6/8 meter and is accompanied by a full ensemble of flute, clarinet, C trumpet, trombone, percussion, accordion, strings, and tuba. It is sung in norteño ranchera style with falsetto on the words corresponding with “have imagination,” “people,” and “artista.”

The coda of El Tigre’s aria, scene 3, reh. F

From Chapter 4

Fig. 4.2. The coda of El Tigre’s aria, scene 3, reh. F

This chart illustrates the overall proportions of internal sections within scene 4, labeled from rehearsal A to W. The golden ratio is evident in the smaller divisions of the first part: mm. 1–47 (46 measures) plus mm. 47–75 (28 measures) equals mm. 1–75 (74 measures). The second and third parts also approximate the golden ratio: mm. 75–164 (89 measures) and mm. 164–223 (59 measures) equals mm. 75–223 (148 measures). The ratio is three measures short of the golden ratio, but this may be corrected by beginning the third section three bars later at m. 167, which is exactly where the fanfare material from the beginning of the scene returns.

Arch Map of Afterword, scene 4

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.1. Arch Map of Afterword, scene 4 (adapted from Tywoniuk 2019, 49).

Scene 4’s opening tempo is 116 bpm, which is 44 bpm faster than 72 bpm. The individual tempo markings also consist of a number of superimposed arithmetic sequences: 60, 66, 72, 76, 84, and 92.

Tempo Proportions in Afterword, scene 4

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.2. Tempo Proportions in Afterword, scene 4 (adapted from Tywoniuk 2019, 60).

This musical example shows the vertical formation of the initial chord (spread across the piano, horn, cello, clarinet, flute, and violin), followed by its transformations at m. 15, m. 26., and mm. 126-27. The initial chord comprises: C2-D flat 2-E2-A2-G flat 3-A3-A flat 4-E flat (1/4 flat)-F sharp(1/4 sharp) and the subsequent transformations neither retain common tones nor registral distribution of the initial chord.

Initial chord and transformations in Afterword, scene 4

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.3. Initial chord and transformations in Afterword, scene 4

This chart uncovers musical style and specific motive or gesture associated with rehearsal letter(s) in the score. For example, within section I, the fanfare style (rehearsal AB) is followed by reference to “All the things you are” (rehearsal CD), short scalar melodic bursts (rehearsal E), and atonal style accompaniment (rehearsal FG). Within section II (H through PQ), there are stylistic references to soul music (rehearsal L), alternating with creative music and atonal styles. In section III (R through VW), a style that references “ancestral music” is heard (rehearsal T).

Musical styles, motives, and gestures in Afterword, scene 4

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.4. Musical styles, motives, and gestures in Afterword, scene 4

Coinciding with the lyrics, “We are gathered here to form an association,” five singers and dancers fling their arms and tilt their bodies in creating a tableau of an album cover of one of AACM’s recordings. The female dancer dons a bright yellow and red dress suggestive of African attire, while the male dancer wears a shiny black pant suit that recalls 1960s’ fashion. The main singer takes off her blond wig in defiance of mainstream white culture, while the male singer wears a bright red cap and denim shirt and points his finger straight up in the air.

Production photo of Afterword, scene 4

From Chapter 5

Fig. 5.5. Production photo of Afterword, scene 4, world premiere performance on October 16, 2015, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (Courtesy of Opera Povera.)

Photograph capturing eleven singers on stage, four women and seven men, clad in vintage clothing from World War I. The back of the stage is lit with four white columns with the following words projected in between them: “Of course I can’t hear anything”; “Outside the window appears a dark shadow that might be a mountain”; and “I listen intently. Still there is dead silence.”

Production photo of Infinite Now, 2017

From Chapter 6

This is a score excerpt in which notation for the “birdwings” appears at the top, sine tones in the middle, and “waves of distant cicadas” at the bottom. While graphic notation is used for birdwings, sine tones maintain a vibrato that moves from B6 to C sharp 6 and a specific instruction (“almost inaudible, just felt extremely high with some resonance”) accompanies the notation for “waves of distant cicadas.”

Act III, mm. 689–694, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now

From Chapter 6

Fig. 6.2. Act III, mm. 689–694, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now. (Copyright © 2016 Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, Germany. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American Music Distributors Company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, Germany.)

This is a score excerpt in which the contralto from Trio 2 sings an aria whose words read, “I try to walk out of the house. The earth is trembling.” Czernowin indicates various extended techniques the singer executes, which includes gasping and micro-tonal pitch bending, among other voiced and breathy vocalizations.

Act IV, mm. 885–89, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now

From Chapter 6

Fig. 6.3. Act IV, mm. 885–89, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now. (Copyright © 2016 Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, Germany. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of European American Music Distributors Company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, Mainz, Germany.)

The musical excerpt involves the bass baritone and the chorus singing the words “scent glows” to a slow melody that begins with an ascending octave leap from A2 to A3. The bass baritone whistles in the last two measures on the consonance “s.”

Gesture of longing in Tea: A Mirror of Soul

From Chapter 7

University of Michigan Press
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Contemporary Opera in Flux

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Photo of Simona Eisinger and Timothy Connor in Neue Oper Wien's production of Solaris (opera), 2021

Photo of Atalla Ayan and Nicole Car in La bohème at the Paris Opera, 2017

Martin Riches, the Singing Machine (2010-13), with the score of "The Audition" (2019) by Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson, "The Audition"

ABB Robot IRB 1400 in "The Lamentations of Orpheus"

Hatsune Miku singing in The End

The Cave, act 1, scene 13—Sarah casts Hagar and Ishmael out, mm. 1–11 (reduced score)

The Cave, act 1, scene 12—Genesis XXI, mm. 24–35 (reduced score)

The Cave, act 2, scene 4—Sacrifice: Ismael and Ishak, mm. 32–41 (reduced score)

Transcription of “Contrabando y Traición” (mm. 1–28)

The coda of El Tigre’s aria, scene 3, reh. F

Arch Map of Afterword, scene 4

Tempo Proportions in Afterword, scene 4

Initial chord and transformations in Afterword, scene 4

Musical styles, motives, and gestures in Afterword, scene 4

Production photo of Afterword, scene 4

Production photo of Infinite Now, 2017

Act III, mm. 689–694, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now

Act IV, mm. 885–89, from Czernowin’s Infinite Now

Gesture of longing in Tea: A Mirror of Soul

Contemporary Opera in Flux

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