1984 (opera)
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1984 is an opera composed by Lorin Maazel, with a libretto by J.D. McClatchy and Thomas Meehan. The opera is based on George Orwell's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. It premiered on 3 May 2005 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a production directed by Robert Lepage.
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[edit] History
1984 was the first opera composed by Maazel, following a conducting career that spanned more than 50 years; he was 75 years old when his work had its premiere.[1] The opera was originally commissioned in 2001 by August Everding, the director of the Munich Opera, and Maazel later admitted surprise at the offer. “I’d never thought of writing an opera, and it took years to convince me,” he stated in an interview prior to the premiere.[2]
The production generated controversy when it became known that Maazel personally backed the opera. He formed Big Brother Productions to back the endeavor and provided more than $760,000 to the project. Some observers openly questioned whether this could be considered as a vanity project, but Maazel did not publicly acknowledge that criticism.[3]
[edit] Cast
In contrast with the conventions of most operas, 1984 casts the hero, Winston, as a baritone (sung by Simon Keenlyside at the premiere), while the lead tenor takes the role of the villain, O'Brien (sung by Richard Margison at the premiere). The part of Julia was sung by soprano Nancy Gustafson in the original production. Other individual parts in the opera include Syme, Parsons, and Charrington, a gym instructress/drunken woman, a prole woman, and a café singer. Maazel incorporates an important role for the chorus, which sings a "hate chorus" for the rallies Orwell called Two Minutes Hate, as well as a rousing "National Anthem of Oceania." The telescreen voice was spoken by Jeremy Irons. The children's chorus was provided by the New London Children's Choir.[4]
[edit] Reviews
The British press reviews for the London premiere were negative. Andrew Clements' review in The Guardian berated the effort, declaring that it was "both shocking and outrageous that the Royal Opera, a company of supposed international standards and standing, should be putting on a new opera of such wretchedness and lack of musical worth."[5] Andrew Clark of the Financial Times stated that the "only reason we find this slick perversion of Orwell on the Covent Garden stage is because super-rich Maazel bought his way there by stumping up the production costs," while Rupert Christiansen in the Daily Telegraph dismissed it as "operatic fast food."[6]
More sympathetic reviews appeared outside of the British media. Newsweek, which noted that while the "score may occasionally sound more like an overblown film soundtrack than the meaty orchestration of an opera," stated the production "effectively conjures up the dispiriting emptiness of Orwell's awful vision. The unusual and inspired choice of a baritone, Simon Keenlyside, for the lead role of Winston, lends the work a darker edge."[7] The Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia praised Maazel by stating "the maestro knows a lot of music and he shows it, just as he shows his prowess in orchestral and vocal work."[8]
The opera's Royal Opera House engagement was sold out, as was a later engagement at La Scala in Milan, Italy. The production was recorded for DVD release. To date, the DVD is only available for sale in Europe.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ "Premiere for opera of Orwell's 1984," BBC News
- ^ "Eyes on Big Brother," The Times
- ^ "Maazel Offers a Salute to Orwell's Vision," New York Times
- ^ "1984: Orwell’s dystopian vision hits opera stage" MundoClasico.com
- ^ "Opera: 1984," The Guardian
- ^ "Lorin Maazel's Opera 1984 Draws Big Crowds and Bad Reviews" Associated Press/Andante Magazine
- ^ "High Notes," Newsweek
- ^ "Lorin Maazel's opera of "1984" draws crowds and opprobrium" Associated Press/Free New Mexican]
- ^ DVD page for Amazon.co.uk
[edit] External links
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