Please share your thoughts about this program with us.
Your responses are critical in helping AOP develop new music!
NUMINOUS CITY
by Pete M. Wyer
Performance Wednesday, November 16th at 7pm at the Rubin Museum of Art
Starring: Sara Heaton, Jessica Miller-Rauch, and Michael Krzankowski
With: Erica Moon and Clint Okayama
Also Featuring:
Joshua Bouchard, Samantha Britt, Lynsey Buckelew, Matthew Curran,
Erin Kemp, Michelle Kennedy, Molly Mustonen, Doug Purcell, Caleb Stokes
Conducted by Mark Shapiro
Directed by Matt Gray
Piano by Jeanne Minette-Cilliers
Overall, I thought it was very successful. My only substantive musical observation was that spirit world beginning was too dissonant. Unless it was purely intentional and meant to include the demonic aspects of Tibetan spirit world…but my inclination would be to have a beautiful chanting sort of beginning, which might represent the contemplative or communal state. It was a tough beginning, one virtue of that being that it lowered the audience’s harmonic expectations so that one grabbed after melody and harmony. Still, it was a difficult entrance to the piece. I liked the whole structure, and moving back and forth in time. It clearly worked, which is a huge achievement.
First of all, and most basically, it compelled my interest and attention. The narrative thread seemed clear to me. I thought John [Shafer]’s questions in the intermission were overly defensive on that point, since I found it very clear. We both thought the staging worked marvelously. The mute characters represented by the singers worked just great, to the point that I think I would like it better that way than a standard operatic production format.