Vocalist.org archive


From:  "Mark Crayton" <mralto@a...>
Date:  Fri Dec 6, 2002  8:13 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Hello

Hi Elizabeth,

It is a great project. Mr. Glass has taken a beating in the press
but he is laughing all the way to the bank as the audiences love the
piece. It is not based on the Brecht because the librettest and
director, Mary Zimmerman, did not want to only base the story on the
end of Galileo's life. The story is told in reverse so the first
three scenes are adapted from the transcripts of the trial and
inquisition. The scene concerning Galileo's daughter is taken from
her letters to her father. There is a scene that is adapted from
Galileo's "Dialogue..." as well as a scene that deals with a famous
priest of the day and his exhortations against Galileo from the
pulpit. The remainder of the opera deals with Galileo's presentation
of the telescope to the Italian court as well as his childhood. The
last scene concerns Galileo watching an opera composed by his father
Vicenzio Galileo (on of the Camerata that included Caccini,
Monteverdi and the like) on the subject of Orion.

We have finished Chicago, New York and London and are on hiatus.
There are possibilities for Seattle and Paris but no deals are
final. Mr. Glass is also working on funding for a recording of the
piece.

I would love to tour more with this piece as I really enjoy it and
the response it gets. Mr. Glass' music is very different here.
Nothing is repeated! No text! No nothing! Some of the musical
language is the same but most of the accompaniment for the singers
consists of broken/driven chords "alberti" style. The harmonic
structure changes almost every four measures...it was quite difficult
to learn! I think that this is what has caused the fury. The
critics did not get what they were expecting and they did not know
how to accept it.

Take care,
Mark


--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., "Elizabeth Finkler"
<mightymezzo@h...> wrote:
> Hello, Mark. Sounds like a great project. Is it based on the
Berthold
> Brecht play? Any chance you're coming to one of the fine
performing venues
> in Northern California?
>
> Elizabeth Finkler
> San Jose, California
> mightymezzo@h...
> http://home.earthlink.net/~mightymezzo
>
> We all live in a place called "23 skiddoo." --John Prine
>
>
>
>
> >From: "Mark Crayton" <mralto@a...>
> >Reply-To: vocalist-temporary@y...
> >To: vocalist-temporary@y...
> >Subject: [vocalist] Hello
> >Date: Thu, 05 Dec 2002 20:50:06 -0000
> >
> >Hi,
> >
> >I am new to the list. My name is Mark Crayton. I am a
countertenor
> >who lives in Chicago and performs (just about) everywhere. I have
> >been singing professionally since I was 9 years old. This season so
> >far, I have spent 6 months touring with the new opera by Philip
Glass
> >called "Galileo Galilei."
>
> _________________________________________________________________




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