Pittsburgh in the Round: The Pittsburgh Opera world premiere of Douglas J. Cuomo’s Ashes & Snow last evening offered a number of novelties aside from being the first ever performance of the work. Operas featuring a sole singer are rather uncommon. Francis Poulenc’s 1958 La voix humaine (“The Human Voice”) is the only other that comes to mind that has attained any enduring popularity, but as recently as 2015, Arnold Schoenberg’s 1924 Erwartung (“Expectation”), was the first opera projected live on a Times Square jumbotron.
2 comments:
Ashes & Snow seems like a really cool show and it's awesome that it premiered in Pittsburgh! Also the concepts of having a sole singer is super duper cool. Mr. Cuomo appears to be an extremely experienced, well educated, and intellectual human. I am not normally a huge fan of Opera, however after reading this article I am eager to go see this piece of art. Ashes & Snow seems like a creative piece that addresses life in a very interesting and engaging way. The fact that this Opera does not use the traditional instruments that are normally apart of an Opera’s orchestra, also gives this Opera more appeal. In addition, the images in this article are beautifully lit and the set looks simple but amazing. I am very interested as to how the actor is mic'd when he is only wearing boxers. Also the fact that the word intimacy is used for this opera makes me think that this is definitely a special piece of work.
This is a really interesting concept for a show, and it seems to be just another one of many exciting projects that are born in Pittsburgh. It is a fascinating idea to have a single voice carrying a show, but to add in the component of an electronic accompaniment is something that, not only have I never heard of before, but something that I have trouble even getting a full picture of in my head. I think it’s suck a beautiful creation in synthesizing Mr. Cuomo’s background as an artist, bringing together all of musical experience and study is something that must be a really reflective process for him. I think that while a lot of theatre explores the things that Ashes & Snow does (love, human connection, loneliness, desire, betrayal, faith, and the nature of existence), Ashes & Snow explores it in a way and with a medium that is wildly different, which will result in a journey that is wildly different than an audience has explored before. I look forward to hearing where Ashes & Snow ends up next.
Post a Comment