Music by: Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by: Michael Korie
Based on the novel by: John Steinbeck
Duration: 190 mins (original version); 170 min (reduced version)
Original three-act opera commissioned by Minnesota Opera and Utah Opera, two-act opera commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
John Steinbeck's classic tale of the Joad family's odyssey from drought-stricken Oklahoma to the illusory "green pastures" of southern California is one of the great stories of survival. Premiered by the Minnesota Opera in 2007 and performed since then by the Utah Opera, PittsburghOpera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Detroit Opera, numerous music schools, and in concert at Carnegie Hall with Jane Fonda narrating, The Grapes of Wrath is an American epic now available in four configurations to match the size of any performing ensemble. Masterfully adapted by librettist Michael Korie from Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath was named “the great American opera” by Musical America.
FORCES
Singers:
13 principal singing roles
1 Soprano
2 Mezzo-Sopranos
3 Tenors
4 Baritones
1 Bass- baritone
1 Boy Soprano
1 Girl Soprano
5 featured singers (doubling various roles): Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Chorus: SATB (div.)
Orchestra:
Full-Length Instrumentation: 2(2nd dbl. Picc.) 2(2nd db. E.H.) 2(2nd dbl. Eb Cl., B.Cl.) 2(2nd dbl. Cbsn.) A.Sax. T.Sax - 4 3 3(B.Tbn.) 1; Timp. Perc. Synth. Hp. Harmonica. Gtr. Str.
Abridged Versions Instrumentation: 2(2nd dbl. Picc.) 2(2nd dbl. E.H.) 2(1st dbl. EbCl.; 2nd dbl. B.Cl.) 2(2nd dbl. Cbsn.) A.Sax.(dbl. S.Sax, Bar.Sax.) - 2 2 3(B.Tbn.) 0; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Pno.(dbl. Cel.) Guit.(dbl. Banjo) Str.
Reviews:
Gordon, who first made his name in the theatre and as a composer of Broadway-style songs, fills his score with beautifully turned genre pieces, often harking back to American popular music of the twenties and thirties: Gershwinesque song-and-dance numbers, a few sweetly soaring love songs in the manner of Jerome Kern, banjo-twanging ballads, saxed-up jazz choruses, even a barbershop quartet. You couldn’t ask for a more comfortably appointed evening of vintage musical Americana. Yet, with a slyness worthy of Weill, Gordon wields his hummable tunes to critical effect.
-Alex Ross, The New Yorker
MEDIA
תגובות