Fellow Travelers (opera)
| Fellow Travelers | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Gregory Spears | |
_official_art.jpg) Original production art by Cincinnati Opera | |
| Librettist | Greg Pierce |
| Language | English |
| Based on |
Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon |
| Premiere |
17 June 2016 Cincinnati Opera |
Fellow Travelers is an opera in 16 scenes composed by Gregory Spears to a libretto by Greg Pierce, based on Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel Fellow Travelers. A co-commission by Cincinnati Opera and G. Sterling Zinsmeyer, the opera was developed by Opera Fusion: New Works, a collaboration between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music which focuses on the creation of new American operas.[1] Fellow Travelers premiered at Cincinnati Opera in June 2016, and will be performed by the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2018.[2]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, June 17, 2016[1] (Conductor: Mark Gibson) |
|---|---|---|
| Timothy Laughlin | tenor | Aaron Blake |
| Hawkins Fuller | baritone | Joseph Lattanzi |
| Mary Johnson | soprano | Devon Guthrie |
| Senator Charles E. Potter/General Airlie/Bartender | baritone | Vernon Hartman |
| Estonian Frank/Interrogator/Senator Joseph McCarthy | baritone | Marcus DeLoach |
| Potter's Assistant/Bookseller/Party Guest/Technician/French Priest | baritone | Christian Purcell |
| Tommy McIntyre | baritone | Paul Scholten |
| Miss Lightfoot | soprano | Alexandra Schoeny |
| Lucy | soprano | Tayla Lieberman |
Synopsis
The opera is set during the McCarthy era of the 1950s and focuses on the "lavender scare", a witch hunt and mass firings of gay people from the United States government. The story centers on the love affair between two men working for the federal government—Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller, a State Department official, and Timothy Laughlin, a recent college graduate working in a senator's office.[3][4]
Music and instrumentation
The opera is scored for a 17-person chamber orchestra. According to the Opera News critic, the score uses minimalist soundscapes combined at times with a "neo-Puccinian lyricism". [5]
References
- 1 2 Cincinnati Opera (2016). Fellow Travellers. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ↑ Von Rhein, John (7 February 2017). "Lyric's new season promises to rock the house — not just with 'Jesus Christ Superstar'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ↑ Da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (20 June 2016). "Review: Gay Love in the Time of McCarthy". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ↑ Gelfand, Janelle (18 June 2016). "Deeply felt Fellow Travelers makes powerful impression". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
- ↑ Cohn, Fred (July 2016). "In Review: Fellow Travelers". Opera News. Retrieved 4 June 2017.