Ned Rorem's Operatic Ambivalence

Strategic Insights -

Ned Rorem's musical compositions are deeply rooted in human voice and emotion, yet opera, a genre that would seem a natural fit, remains a mystery to him. He has written several operas, but they are characterized by their brevity and reluctance to engage fully with the operatic form. This ambivalence was on display at the Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble's concert at Merkin Concert Hall, where his operas "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters" were performed.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ned Rorem's operas, such as "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters", are brief and reluctant to engage fully with the operatic form, suggesting his discomfort or mistrust of the medium.
  • Rorem's music in "A Childhood Miracle" is beautiful but lacks urgency, while "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters" is a more concise and effective work, with music that successfully explains Gertrude Stein's literary art.
  • The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble's concert at Merkin Concert Hall featured a sizable orchestra and soloists who performed with minimal acting, making the evening more of a verbal than visual experience.
  • Rorem's operas are more "reader's dramas", where the audience is encouraged to supply their own visual imagination, rather than being depicted on stage.
  • The concert also featured Edgar David Grana's choral setting of "Stones, Time and Elements", a "Humanist Requiem" in poetry written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., but it was criticized for rendering Vonnegut's words helpless amidst Grana's musical jumble.
  • The soloists who performed in the concert included Ross Solomon, Carol Flamm, Andrea Matthews, Darcy Dunn, and Madeline Tsingopoulos, with Kenneth Newbern playing the piano for Gertrude Stein's work.

Statistics:

  • Two of Ned Rorem's operas, "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters", were performed in concert form at Merkin Concert Hall.
  • "A Childhood Miracle" was written in 1951, while "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters" was written 17 years later.
  • The concert featured a sizable orchestra and soloists who performed with minimal acting.
  • The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble is a company that specializes in the performance of operas and other music repertory.

Sources:

  • "A Childhood Miracle" and "Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters" by Ned Rorem.
  • The Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble.
  • Merkin Concert Hall.
  • Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s poetry.
  • Gertrude Stein's play.
  • Edgar David Grana's choral setting of "Stones, Time and Elements".
  • The New York Times (caption for the photo).