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CREATORS INCONCERT

JAKE HEGGIEThe National Opera Center

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.

Talise Trevigne, soprano

Elise Quagliata, mezzo-soprano

Stephen Costello, tenor

Joseph Lattanzi, baritone

Jake Heggie, piano

PRESENTS

PROGRAM

Dead Man Walking (2000)Act II, Scene 2, Sister Helen’s Bedroom

Talise Trevigne and Elise Quagliata

Moby-Dick (2010)Act II, Scene 2, Below Deck, “Poor Rover”

Talise Trevigne and Stephen Costello

Three Decembers (2008)Part I, Scene 4, “The Golden Gate Bridge”

Talise Trevigne and Joseph Lattanzi

Here and Gone (2005)The Factory Window Song The Half-Moon Westers Low

Stephen Costello and Joseph Lattanzi

Facing Forward/Looking Back (2007)Mother in the Mirror Facing Forward

Talise Trevigne and Elise Quagliata

Conversation with OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca

Great Scott (2015) Act II, Scene 8, Arden’s Dressing Room, Final Quartet Video from the World Premiere Performance

Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano (Arden Scott) Ailyn Pérez, soprano (Tatyana Bakst)

Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano (Winnie Flato) Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor (Roane Heckle)

The Dallas Opera, conducted by Patrick Summers

When I begin to develop a new opera, I immediately start to imagine where the opportunities for ensembles will be: how they will emerge and what kind of transformation they will offer. Of the many remarkable things that are unique to opera, it is ensembles that most excite my imagination. Here are a few samples from four of my operas, as well as from a couple of song cycles.

In Act II, Scene 2, of Dead Man Walking (libretto by Terrence McNally), Sister Helen Prejean wakes suddenly from a nightmare. She’s exhausted from countless trips back and forth from her home at Hope House to Angola Prison, where she is spiritual advisor to Joseph DeRocher. He is to be executed for the rape and murder of two teenagers, but refuses to accept responsibility for the crime. She finds herself in a deeply personal, spiritual crisis on how to break through and connect with him. Helen’s friend, Sister Rose, enters and they discuss the nature of forgiveness.

In Act II of Moby-Dick (libretto by Gene Scheer), the harpooner Queequeg suddenly takes ill and announces he is dying. As his friend Greenhorn sits with him in the depths of the ship, someone emerges from the shadows. It is Pip, the young cabin boy who was lost at sea and rescued by Queequeg. Greenhorn and Pip sing a mournful song wondering how long they must roam this lonely planet and where it will all end.

At the end of Part I in Three Decembers (libretto by Scheer), Beatrice and Charlie, sister and brother, stand on the Golden Gate Bridge and try to remember their father, who died when they were very little.

Here and Gone is a cycle of songs and duets for tenor and baritone that traces the love and friendship of two men. The poetry is by A.E. Housman and Vachel Lindsay.

Facing Forward/Looking Back is a cycle of duets for two women that follows the ever-evolving relationship of mother and daughter. The full cycle includes the work of five writers: Charlene Baldridge, Eugenia Zukerman, Raymond Carver, Armistead Maupin and the composer.

Toward the end of Great Scott (libretto by McNally), a quartet for four treble voices emerges as each character contemplates the sacrifices she or he has made for career, for love and for art. This is one of those magical moments in the theater when time stops, reality is suspended, and we enjoy a moment of vocal and emotional beauty. It is also a tribute to the Rosenkavalier trio, with a countertenor added into the mix.

FROM THE COMPOSER

“Arguably the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer” (The Wall Street Journal), Jake Heggie is the American composer of the acclaimed operas Moby-Dick (libretto by Gene Scheer), Dead Man Walking (libretto by Terrence McNally), Great Scott (McNally), Three Decembers (Scheer), Out of Darkness (Scheer), To Hell and Back (Scheer) and The Radio Hour (Scheer). Heggie’s next opera, It’s a Wonderful Life (Scheer), will open at Houston Grand Opera in December 2016. He has also composed more than 250 songs, as well as chamber, choral and orchestral works. The operas — most created with the distinguished writers Terrence McNally and Gene Scheer — have been produced extensively on five continents, with major productions in San Francisco, New York, Dresden, Vienna, Cape Town, Sydney, Adelaide, Montreal, Calgary, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Seattle, Chicago, Madrid, Barcelona, Dublin, Malmo and Copenhagen, to name a few. Dead Man Walking has received nearly 50 international productions since its premiere, as well as two live recordings. Moby-Dick was telecast as part of Great Performances’ 40th season and released on DVD (EuroArts). It is also the subject of the book Heggie & Scheer’s Moby-Dick: A Grand Opera for the 21st Century (UNT Press). Heggie was recently awarded the Eddie Medora King prize by the UT Austin Butler School of Music and has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship. The composer served as a mentor to Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative for young composers and librettists for three seasons. He lives in San Francisco.

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER

The Philadelphia-born tenor Stephen Costello quickly established a reputation as a “first-class talent” (Opera News) after coming to national attention in 2007, when, at age 26, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut on

the company’s season-opening night. Two years later, Costello won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award. He subsequently made his debuts at a number of the world’s most important opera houses. His notable roles include Donizetti’s Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Lord Percy (Anna Bolena), Tonio (La Fille du régiment) and Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore); Puccini’s Rodolfo (La bohème); Verdi’s Alfredo (La traviata); and Gounod’s Roméo (Roméo et Juliette). In 2010, he created the role of Greenhorn (Ishmael) in The Dallas Opera’s celebrated world premiere production of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick, prompting Opera magazine to hail him as “a tenor of ineffable sensitivity” and “unfailing elegance in singing”; it was in this role that he made his debuts with San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera.

Baritone Joseph Lattanzi is gaining notice for his “robust vocalism,” “unmistakable charisma” and “undeniable star potential.” This summer, Lattanzi leads the world premiere cast of Fellow Travelers by Gregory Spears

at Cincinnati Opera. Upcoming engagements include Carmina Burana with the Reno Philharmonic, Káťa Kabanová at Seattle Opera and La Cenerentola with Arizona Opera. Recent engagements include performances with Arizona Opera, Seattle Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The Atlanta Opera and Chicago Sinfonietta, Britten’s War Requiem with the Orchestra e Coro Sinfonica di Milano “Giuseppe Verdi,” and the Count in Le nozze di Figaro at San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program. Lattanzi has workshopped operas by Gregory Spears (Fellow Travelers), Jake Heggie (Great Scott) and Daniel Catán (Meet John Doe). Other stage credits include Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Ríolobo (Florencia en el Amazonas), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) and Malatesta (Don Pasquale). The Mableton, Georgia, native has studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

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Mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata recently completed a North American and European tour with New York City Opera in the title role in Carmen and also will be Hedda Hopper in their production of Michael Korie’s

Hopper’s Wife. Quagliata has sung Sister Helen Prejean in Heggie’s Dead Man Walking with Des Moines Metro Opera, Union Avenue Opera, DePaul University and the Modern American Music Project. Career highlights include Joan Clarke in Chen’s The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing with American Lyric Theater; Olga (Eugene Onegin) and the Muse/Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) at Des Moines Metro Opera; Jo (Little Women), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) and the title role in Carmen with Pensacola Opera; and Cornelia (Giulio Cesare) with Florida Grand Opera. Quagliata is a frequent symphonic soloist and recital singer. Upcoming engagements include Sister James in Douglas J. Cuomo’s Doubt with Union Avenue Opera and the title role in Carmen with Utah Opera.

Soprano Talise Trevigne started this season as Pamina in Hawaii before joining North Carolina Opera for her debut in the title role in Madama Butterfly, for which she won outstanding reviews. Voix des Arts wrote:

“The pure beauty of Trevigne’s voice was unforgettable. In movement, in voice and in expressivity, she was a Butterfly worthy of mention alongside Maria Callas.” She appears later this season at Birmingham Opera in Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice. In April, she creates the role of Clara in David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s JFK for Fort Worth Opera. She then joins Albany Symphony in Kernis’ Love Songs and travels to Bard Music Festival in the summer for the title role in Iris. Last season’s highlights include Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking (Opera Parallèle), Ophelia in Hamlet (Fort Worth Opera) and Madame Hubert in L’Épreuve villageoise (Opera Lafayette). Future plans include Clara in It’s a Wonderful Life at Houston Grand Opera.

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LIBRETTIDead Man Walking (2000)Libretto by Terrence McNallyCommissioned by San Francisco Opera

ACT II, SCENE 2: SISTER HELEN’S BEDROOM

[The lights come up on SISTER HELEN asleep in her bed. She is writhing from a nightmare in which she sees the two murdered teenagers. She sits bolt upright in her bed and looks at the crucifix.]

SISTER HELENOh!

[She rubs her eyes with her hands. When she looks again, the two teenagers are gone. She looks down at the small crucifix around her neck.]

Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[We hear SISTER ROSE knocking at the door. She comes in and flips the lights on. She is in her nightgown.]

SISTER ROSEHelen? Are you all right? I thought I heard you cry out.

SISTER HELENI saw them, Rose.

SISTER ROSEWho?

SISTER HELENTwo young children standing before me. There, by the cross.

SISTER ROSELook at you. You’re exhausted.

SISTER HELENThere’s someplace beyond exhaustion. That’s where I am nearly all of the time now.

SISTER ROSEDo you realize what time it is? Try to sleep.

SISTER HELENBut I can’t. I’ve all but given up on sleep. I haven’t slept well in weeks. Ever since—.

SISTER ROSESince you started going up there. We all see it. We’re all worried for you. It’s too much for you. Too much for anyone!

SISTER HELENI have dreams, Rosie, terrible dreams. Dreams of Joseph. Dreams of those two children he’s accused of killing.

SISTER ROSEThe children he’s convicted of killing.

SISTER HELENHe still says that he’s innocent.

SISTER ROSEYou know better, Helen. We both do.

SISTER HELENNo! Only God knows. Only God can judge. Only God can forgive us. August fourth at midnight. August fourth. Our little Jimmy’s birthday.

SISTER ROSELet me write to him and tell him you’re not able to continue with this.

SISTER HELENI gave my word and he has nobody else.

LIBRETTISISTER ROSEHe’s only one man. And we tend many, Sister.

SISTER HELENAll alone in his cell waiting for August fourth. I have told him that God loves him and forgives him. But it is of no consolation to him.

SISTER ROSEAnd you?

SISTER HELENWhat about me?

SISTER ROSEHave you forgiven him?

SISTER HELENWhat a question! Of course I have! How can you even ask that?

SISTER ROSEGod’s love and forgiveness are of precious little consolation if we do not feel it from our fellow man. God forgives easily. God forgives readily. And I believe that God will forgive your Joe. But the human heart is less supple. Less kind. Less forgiving. Less wise. And if you truly want to help this man, you must forgive him just as our Lord has done. That’s what Joseph asks of you. That’s what God asks of you. Nothing less. Nothing more.

SISTER HELENI’m being tested. My faith is being tested. Help me to be strong, Sister. Help me to forgive him.

SISTER ROSESometimes forgiveness is in the smallest gesture.

SISTER HELENForgiveness.

SISTER ROSEThe touch of a hand, a look, or a smile.

SISTER HELENJust the smallest gesture.

SISTER ROSEBut words aren’t forgiveness. Doing is.

SISTER HELENI remember when I was little, no matter how bad I’d been, I always knew my mama loved me and forgave me.

SISTER ROSEBut not by her words.

SISTER ROSE and SISTER HELEN No, almost never by her words.

SISTER HELENIt was the way she buttoned my coat, even the top button.

SISTER ROSEThe way she’d brush my hair to make it shine.

SISTER HELENThe way she held my hand...

SISTER ROSE and SISTER HELEN...held it tightly all the way to school. And it was all without a word. And all was forgiven. All without a word. All without a sound.

SISTER HELENWhat should I do?

SISTER ROSEGo to him. Listen to him. Maybe take his hand. It’s no big deal.

LIBRETTISISTER HELENHow will I know that I’ve forgiven him? Truly forgiven him?

SISTER ROSEYou’ll know. I wouldn’t be suprised if your heart didn’t burst from it. Try to sleep now.

(ROSE embraces HELEN and kisses her on the forehead.)

SISTER HELENI don’t think I’ll really sleep ‘til this is over. Say a Rosary with me?

SISTER ROSEHoney, ordinarily I’d love to but do you know what time it is? I’m pullin’ rank here. Lights out!

[ROSE turns the lights out and closes the door behind her as she leaves. In the soft glow of a votive light, we see HELEN cross herself and begin to recite.]

SISTER HELENHail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.

LIBRETTIMoby-Dick (2010)Libretto by Gene ScheerCommissioned by The Dallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, Calgary Opera and State Opera of South Australia

ACT II, SCENE 2: BELOW DECK

[GREENHORN sits with QUEEQUEG, who seems near death. We hear PIP tapping his tambourine. He emerges from the shadows, having been there all along.]

PIPPoor rover, will ye never have done with all this weary roving?Poor rover, where go ye now? Over, over, over the horizon.

PIP and GREENHORNPoor rover, will ye never have done with all this weary roving?Will ye leave me alone again? Is this...

GREENHORN...madness?

PIP...a vision?

GREENHORN...a choice?

PIP...a dream?

GREENHORNIs this surrender?

PIP Poor, poor rover.

PIP and GREENHORN

To follow currents winding to those sweet islands.

LIBRETTIThree Decembers (2008)Libretto by Gene ScheerCommissioned by Houston Grand Opera and San Francisco Opera

PART I, SCENE 4: THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

[BEA and her brother CHARLIE are walking on the Golden Gate Bridge.]

BEAWhat do you remember about Dad?

CHARLIEI can hardly remember Mom, Much less our father.

BEAYes. It was lots of nannies.

CHARLIEOther people’s moms.

BEA and CHARLIEOther people’s dads. And yet.

BEAThere are certain things, I swear I can remember. I remember a man in a chairReading book after book.Day and night. Sitting there.

CHARLIEIt was a gray chair.

BEAIt was green.

CHARLIEIt was soft.

BEAVery soft.

CHARLIEAnd warm.

BEAVery warm.

CHARLIEAnd deep.

BEAEspecially deep and safe.

CHARLIEVery safe.

BEAI remember him there.

CHARLIEI remember the chair, I think.

BEA and CHARLIEPictures. Movies.Make me think I can remember Even when I wasn’t there.

BEABut, I swear...

CHARLIEI remember Saturday mornings.

BEAHe would get up early to watch cartoonsWith you and me.

CHARLIEDid he?

LIBRETTIBEAI remember sitting in his lap.

CHARLIEHe would sing a lullaby about the moon.

BEAYes, I remember that.

CHARLIEI think his voice was soothing.

BEASoft, yet strong.

CHARLIEHis hands were gentle.

BEAHis arms were very long.He could hold us bothAnd throw us in the air!We would land in the chair.

CHARLIEBut really, Bea, I think we only Conjure a man we don’t know.

BEAWith his books in a chairThrowing me in the air Up high. I swear I really can remember.

CHARLIEBut he’s gone. Let him go. There are things we will neverRemember. He’s been gone for more than twenty years.

BEAEvery corner I turnI still hope he’ll reappear.

CHARLIEHe isn’t there, Bea.

BEAHe isn’t there.

BEA and CHARLIEAnd all that remainsIs a precious memory we share.

BEAOf a man in chair, reading.I remember him there.

CHARLIEBea, really, I only rememberThe chair.

LIBRETTIHere and Gone (2005)

THE FACTORY WINDOW SONGBy Vachel Lindsay

Factory windows are always broken.Somebody’s always throwing bricks,Somebody’s always heaving cinders,Playing ugly Yahoo tricks.

Factory windows are always broken.Other windows are let alone.No one throws through the chapel-windowThe bitter, snarling, derisive stone.

Factory windows are always broken.Something or other is going wrong.Something is rotten – I think, in Denmark.End of the factory-window song.

THE HALF-MOON WESTERS LOWBy A.E. Housman

The half-moon westers low, my love,And the wind brings up the rain;And wide apart lie we, my love,And seas between the twain.

I know not if it rains, my love,In the land where you do lie;And oh, so sound you sleep, my love,You know no more than I.

LIBRETTIFacing Forward/Looking Back (2007)

MOTHER IN THE MIRROR By Armistead Maupin

I saw my mother in the mirror last night — as plain as the nose on my face. She’d been lurking inside me all along, smirking at my disgrace:

“I’m not one to say ‘I told you so’…”“The hell you’re not,” I replied. “And I really don’t need to hear this fifteen years after you died.” “If you’d given me grandchildren like I asked, I might not have moved into you.” “Lovely,” I said. “That’s just lovely.”

“Nevertheless, it’s true. A mother has to live somewhere. So we’ll both just have to make do.”

“Piss off,” I said. “I don’t want you here. I have other plans for this face.”

“That’s no way to talk to yourself, dear. Now why don’t you clean up this place?”

FACING FORWARD By Jake Heggie

Let it go. Let it out of your heart. Set it free. Let it be a part set apartand maybe then you will seemaybe then it will be a little easier to let go and be free. And you want to be free, don’t you? Which way are you looking? What are you looking for? Go on. Be strong. There’s so much to be living forand so many other people to give to. Let it go. Let it out of your heart. Set it free. And maybe then, baby, you’ll seeyourself.

LIBRETTIGreat Scott (2015) Libretto by Terrence McNallyCommissioned by The Dallas Opera

ACT II, SCENE 8: ARDEN’S DRESSING ROOM

[Time stops and a quartet emerges. Each character is inside her/his own thoughts.]

ARDEN SCOTTIt’s always the song, not the singer. Great music is never a risk. Trusting the heart of another, what is more frightening than this? Why do I run? Oh, to be visible. Oh, to be seen. Oh, to be unafraid of the choices I make. I believe in the sacrifices I’ve made. Arden, you jumped into a volcano. Now jump back into your heart. No more running away. I’ll experience my life. I’ll experience joy and sorrow as myself. And maybe tomorrow, there will finally be a place inside my heart.

TATYANA BAKSTHow I envy her. To have what she has. God forgive me, I must succeed. It’s always a fight. I don’t know how to be second. Why must I fight? Always fight to win. Oh, to be unafraid of the choices I make. I believe in the sacrifices I’ve made. All in pursuit of a dream. Always running away from the demons that chase me. No more running away. I’ll stay in U.S. of A. Beloved and famous like her, only more so. I too have a place here.

WINNIE FLATOI am blessed by love. My husband loves me and wants my happiness. And I want his. I am loved. Truly loved. I believe in the sacrifices we’ve made in pursuit of a dream. Here in this sacred space, we experience life. We experience joy, sorrow, hope. All of our fears and dreams, here in this sacred space. A sacred place.

ROANE HECKLEHe saw my eyes. He looked. He saw their color. I let him see me. I didn’t look away. Oh, to be visible. Oh, to be seen. Unafraid. I believe in the sacrifices I’ve made in pursuit of a dream. I won’t run away again. I’ll experience life. I’ll experience joy, sorrow. Who do I want to be? I won’t be invisible here in this sacred space. A sacred place.

JOIN US FOR THESE FUTURE EVENTS AT THE NATIONAL OPERA CENTER:

MASTERS AT WORK: CRAFTING AN OPERA WITH CARLISLE FLOYD DESIGN AND CREATIVE TEAM

Friday, March 18, 2016, 1:00 p.m.

Composer Carlisle Floyd explores the genesis of his opera-in-progress, Prince of Players, in this discussion series leading up to and following the work’s premiere at Houston Grand Opera. The March discussion, the fourth of five, will focus on the opera’s design and creative team. Join the conversation via the interactive live stream with questions led by OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca.

The final discussion in the series will take place April 15.

CONVERSATIONS | ISABEL LEONARD, MEZZO-SOPRANO

Thursday, April 7, 2016, 7:00 p.m.

Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, known equally for her “wide range, coloratura agility and striking physical beauty” (Chicago Tribune), has performed internationally in both opera and concert with companies such as Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, Wiener Staatsoper and Opéra national de Paris. Leonard recently won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for Thomas Adès’ The Tempest.

EMERGING ARTIST RECITAL SERIES | JENSEN FOUNDATION COMPETITION WINNER JOHN BRANCY, BARITONE

Thursday, May 5, 2016, 7:00 p.m.

Baritone John Brancy, winner of the 2015 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, will take the stage for a recital showcasing his artistry. In the 2015–2016 season, Brancy sings Malatesta in Don Pasquale with the Glyndebourne Festival Opera Tour, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Pacific Opera Victoria.

Register for future events at operaamerica.org/Onstage.

Speak to an OPERA America staff member if you have questions about any of our events or if you are interested in becoming a member.

The Creators in Concert series is generously supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by the Amphion Foundation.