STUDY GUIDE

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Table of Contents

Welcome 3 Introduction to 4 A Night at the Opera 6 Opera Terms and Voice Categories 7 About Our Director 8 About the Composer: 9 A Brief History of Climbing Mt. Everest 10 Synopsis 11 Cast of Characters & Performance History of an Opera 12 A Brief History of the Making of Talbot’s Everest 13 Set and Projections in the Opera 14 An Opera in Music 15 For Teachers 16 References 17

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WELCOME!

“Opera is about life and everything that entails—love, hate and passion.” - Lesley Garrett

Dear teachers and students,

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Patricia Kesler, and I am the new Education and Outreach Coordina- tor at Opera. I’m very excited to be here and look forward to sharing my love of opera with all of you.

Something happens in the theatre when the lights go down, the ’s music begins to swell and the curtains open. We catch a first glimpse of the set and immediately begin to rise into an imagined world, one with no borders save for the edge of the stage and the depth of one’s capacity to believe.

“Some say that the best part of the opera is the anticipation. House lights. Orchestra. Curtain up into a world of wonder.” Pam Brown, b. 1928

Miraculous events occur in opera: an ice-hearted princess opens to love, two centuries-old feuding families decide to put aside their differences, lovers find each other across immeasurable distance and hardship and misunderstanding. Yet these are the miracles of every day life, the miracle of being human and of having a heart.

Opera can remind us of feelings we have long since laid down: yearning, hope, loss, but it is in feeling these emotions that we connect to the story, to the characters on stage, to each other. Sitting in the dark theatre with hundreds of others we have the chance to remember, to start again, to feel, to love.

This is my hope for you, the wish that I have for your students, to find this beauty and this reminder of our common humanity on the opera stage, and to return to it, again and again.

Patricia Kesler Education and Outreach Coordinator Calgary Opera

WARNING: This opera contains strong language and mature subject matter. We recommend all audience members be +13.

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INTRODUCTION TO OPERA

The word opera comes from the Italian “opera in musica,” this day we can hear the music in performance and which means “works or plays in music.” Simply put, opera is recordings: https://youtu.be/sKD1qUVJJBU a play in which the characters sing their lines rather than speak them, with music as its driving force. It is a mixture of many different types of art, combining music, drama, dance elaborate costumes and scenery.

Traditional view holds that the first completely sung musical drama (or opera) developed as a result of discussions held in Florence in the 1570s by a group of intellectuals, poets, artist, scientists and humanists such as composers Giulio Caccini, Peri and Vincenzo Galilei (father of astronomer and scientist Galileo Galilei, particularly known for his improvements to the telescope). The Florentine Camerata, as they called themselves, explored trends in the arts, focusing on music and drama. One particular point of focus was their joint belief that music, in particular vocal works, had become over-embellished and that returning to a more Opera has flourished throughout the world as a vehicle pure form would be a powerful way to tell stories and for the expression of the full range of human emotions. express emotions. Gathering inspiration from Classical Italians claim the art form as their own, retaining dominance Greece, its dramas and the idea of the Greek chorus, which in the field through the death of Giacomo Puccini in 1924. acts as a commentator reporting on the actions, they Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Leoncavallo developed evolved the idea of “recitativo” — a single vocal line, sung in the art form through clearly a free, declamatory style, with simple instrumental support. defined periods that produced opera buffa, opera seria, bel canto and verismo. Mozart (1756-1791) wrote in Italian as well as German and championed the singspiel (sing play), which combined the spoken word with music ( 1791, Abduction At the time it was argued that recitativo was far superior to from the Seraglio 1782), a form spoken verse, since the musical inflections intensified the also used by Beethoven in his implied emotions. Thus, it is no wonder that many of opera Fidelio. Bizet (Carmen), Offenbach (Les Contes the first operas were based on Greek tragedies with D’Hoffmann), Gounod (Faust) and Meyerbeer (Les mythological themes. Huguenots) led the adaptation by the French which ranged The first opera composed by Jacopo Peri in 1597, Dafne, from the opera comique to full-scale tragedie about the nymph who fled from Apollo and was turned into lyrique. German composers von Weber (Der Fresichutz), a laurel tree as a way to save her virtue, was a through- Richard Strauss (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Wagner (Der Ring composed musical work comprised of recitative sections, to des Nibelungen) developed diverse forms such as singspiel reveal the plot of the drama, and arias, which provided the to through-composed spectacles unified through the uses of soloist an opportunity to develop the emotions of the leitmotif. The English ballad opera, Spanish zarzuela and character. Sadly most of the music for the opera has been Viennese operetta helped to establish opera as a form of . However, Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, composed in entertainment which continues to enjoy great popularity 1607 based on the Orpheus myth, was very successful. To throughout the world.

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With the beginning of the 20th century, composers in North America diverged from European traditions in order to focus on their own roots while exploring and developing the vast body of the country’s folk music and legends. Composers such as George Gershwin with Porgy and Bess, Douglas Moore with The Ballad of Baby Doe, Carlisle Floyd with Suzanna, with Nixon in China and Gian Carlo Menotti with The Medium have all crafted operas that have been presented throughout the world to great success. In , composer John Estacio and librettist John Murrell were commissioned by Calgary Opera to produce Filumena, based on a true Canadian John Adams’ Nixon in China, story of the last woman to be hanged in — which https://youtu.be/vd-ODo8v06A premiered in 2003 in Calgary to great success, and is one of the most produced Canadian grand operas in the world.

George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at Teatro la Scala

https://youtu.be/VfziZxrXNy0

Laura Whalen as the title character in Calgary Opera’s Filumena (2003) Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, Pensacola Opera https://youtu.be/_4Riw2wLsww https://youtu.be/uReeJn3v0EM

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A NIGHT AT THE OPERA: Your Guide to a Night to Remember There are many preconceived notions propagated by Food and drink are not allowed inside the hall and, since popular media about opera, so a first visit to an sound carries due to the acoustics of the hall, please open operatic performance may bring up a number of questions. any candies you might have prior to the start of the show. Here are some tips on how to make your night at the opera Also remember that many hours have gone into bringing most enjoyable. this particular production to you, so please be considerate of the performers and your fellow audience members and By far, the most popular question and concern is: turn off and put away your cell phones.

What do I wear to the opera? Please remember that photography is not permitted once the performance starts. The design and direction of the In the past, opera audiences have been known to wear show is protected under intellectual property laws and only lavish gowns as well as top hats and bow ties, giving the the official Calgary Opera photographers can take pictures. rest of the public a feeling that opera isn’t for everyone, which is definitely not the case! In today’s opera lovers’ Another big concern that the public has about opera is the world audiences come dressed in whatever they feel most fact that it is in a different language. This, of course, is true comfortable! Your pajamas might attract stares, but to for most operas. However, like any foreign film that is each his own! accessible to the public, opera always, no matter what https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2012/ language it’s sung in, has easy to read supertitles which are oct/18/what-should-you-wear-at-theatre projected above the stage.

Where are the performances held? Please, do feel free to show your appreciation to the performers by laughing at the humorous parts and All Calgary Opera’s productions are held at the Southern applauding after a well—performed aria. If you were Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. If you are driving, it is particularly impressed by a performer’s vocal acrobatics, recommended that you arrive approximately 45 minutes feel free to express your enthusiasm vocally as well as by prior to the start of the show to avoid traffic. Another great applause; if you hear fellow audience members shout reason to ensure that you arrive on time is that if you are “bravo” for a man, “brava” for a woman or “bravi” for a late, you may have to wait in the lobby for the late arrival group of performers, chime in if the spirit moves you! It’s entries and watch the opera from the monitors in the all part of your unique opera experience! And remember, lobby for a period of time rather than from your seat. for a performer, audience response is one of the most Your Experience at the Opera rewarding parts of their work… positive audience response, that is! Starting at 6:30 pm in the first floor lobby on performance night, Calgary Opera presents our Opera Talks where some Some may argue that opera is an acquired taste. However, of Calgary’s most learned musicians and historians give an to acquire the taste we must first expose ourselves to it, interesting and entertaining talk about the opera that is and there is no better way than doing it live! about to be performed on stage. Ice cream, coffee, tea and Below are some helpful Calgary Opera links that may other treats are available in the lobby as well as different answer any additional questions you may have: exhibits which will make your early arrival much more enjoyable. https://www.calgaryopera.com/discover/plan-your-visit https://www.calgaryopera.com/discover/faq You will be advised by an announcement when the doors to the main hall are open. Don’t forget to get your program from an usher prior to taking your seats, as it will give you additional information on the opera and the artists. You will notice a number of individuals gathered at the very front of the auditorium: these are the patrons that like to look into the orchestra pit and all its splendors. Don’t be shy, and if you have time, do wander down yourself during intermission to have a look!

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OPERA TERMS AND VOICE CATEGORIES

The word “opera” is Italian, derived from the plural of the Latin opus, meaning “work”. Opera, in Italian, is called opera lirica, or lyric work. “Lyric” is defined as “appropriate song,” so opera lirica is a work of theatre that is set to song. Opera combines the best of all worlds with strong , full orchestra, riveting drama, exceptional dance, spectacular sets, lavish costumes, dramatic lighting and special effects. All of these characteristics combine to make opera one of the most powerful art forms. Opera is fun, really, and it is just as entertaining now as it was when it was first created. If you like a good story, you’ll like opera. Here are a few terms to help you figure it all out. Opera Terms Libretto: Italian for "little book": the words of an opera written by a librettist. Aria: Italian for an air or song; the big number where the singer expresses feelings and shows off the voice. Recitative: Speech-singing where the singer chants the words in rhythm of free speech, used to further the plot or set up an aria. Forerunner of rap. Duet: An aria built for two. Singers express feelings to each other or the audience. Three singers at once are a trio, and four, a . Ensemble: Principal singers singing mostly together, expressing different opinions and emotions. Example: Quintette in Cenerentola (Cinderella).

Fach or Voice Category

German for "compartment," a voice category or range of notes and voice quality in individual singers. Coloratura : The highest female voice. The coloratura soprano is the tweety bird of opera, singing the highest range of notes with great flexi- bilty. Example: the Queen of the Night’s aria in Magic Flute. Soprano: The voice has a high range of notes. Voice quality can be dramatic or lyric. Example: Clorinda in La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Mezzo: Mezzo- have the middle range of the female voice. Example: the role of Carmen in Carmen. : The highest range in the male voice. Example: Don Jose in Carmen. : The middle range of the male voice. Example: the Toreador in Carmen. : The lowest of the male voices. Example: Frère Laurent, Capulet, Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette. Chorus : A group of community-based singers who provide support to the principal singers, set the scene and create the mood for an opera. The chorus includes all voice categories.

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ABOUT OUR DIRECTOR

Our Director for Everest is Leonard Foglia, a theatre and opera director as well as li- brettist. He directed the world premieres of Moby Dick (filmed for PBS), Everest, Cold Mountain, The End of the Affair, Three Decembers and It’s a Wonderful Life. His production of was produced by and has been seen across the US as well at Teatro Real, Madrid and the Barbican, London. As a librettist, he wrote (and directed) El Pasado Nunca Se Termina / The Past Is Never Finished, with composer José “Pepe” Martínez. It premiered at Lyric Opera of Chicago and has been produced by San Diego Opera and Houston Grand Opera; A Coffin in Egypt with composer premiered at Houston Grand Opera and has played at Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, LA and The American Songbook at Lincoln Center. Foglia’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna / To Cross the Face of the Moon premiered at Houston Grand Opera and has played at New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fort Worth Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. His Broadway credits include Master Class, Wait Until Dark, On Golden Pond, Thurgood (filmed for HBO), The People in the Picture and The Gin Game. Mr. Foglia is also know for his writing. He has written five books with David Richards: the mystery novels 1 Ragged Ridge Road and Face Down in the Park and the thrillers The Sudarium Trilogy: The Surrogate, The Son and The Savior.

Dallas Opera World Premiere Production of Everest, 2015. Scenery designed by Robert Brill, costumes de-

signed by David Woolard, and projections designed by Elaine McCarthyPacific Opera Victoria: Set Design by Ken MacDonald

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER: JOBY TALBOT

Joby Talbot was born in London in 1971. He studied composition privately with Brian Elias and at Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, before com- pleting a Master of Music (Composition) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Simon Bainbridge.

Highlights from among Talbot’s diverse catalogue include the narrative ballets Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2011) and The Winter's Tale (2014), both collaborations with choreographer for and National Ballet of Canada that have since entered the repertory of companies worldwide; the choral Path of Miracles (2005), a 60-minute a cappella journey along the Camino de Santiago commissioned by Nigel Short’s and performed regularly by international ensembles; arrangements of songs by Detroit rock duo alongside Talbot's original works for choreographer Wayne McGregor’s unparalleled (The Royal Ballet, 2006); Worlds, Stars, Systems, In- finity (2012) as an additional movement to Holst's for the ’s interactive digital in- stallation, Universe of Sound, under Esa-Pekka Salonen; Genus Quartet (2013) for Los Angeles' acclaimed Calder Quar- tet, premiered as part of the Barbican's weekend of new music curated by Nico Muhly; and the hugely popular animat- ed feature Sing (, 2016) for Entertainment (Despicable Me, Minions). For the BBC Proms, Talbot has written The Wishing Tree (The King's Singers, 2002); Sneaker Wave (BBC National Orchestra of Wales, 2004) and an arrangement of Purcell's Chacony in G Minor (BBC Symphony Orchestra, 2011). Further orchestral highlights include Desolation Wilderness (2006), a concerto for and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Or- chestra; and Meniscus (2013) to mark World Environment Day at China's National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Talbot has considerable experience writing for the screen, including classic BBC comedy series The League of Gentle- men and feature films The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Garth Jennings, 2005) and Closed Circuit (John Crowley, 2013); and has been twice commissioned by the , to re-score silent films (1999) and The Dying Swan (2002). A new score to Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1932 Vampyr for LA Opera’s Off Grand season at the Ace Ho- tel in Los Angeles will be presented on October 27th, 2018.

Talbot’s critically acclaimed first opera, Everest, was premiered in 2015 by the Dallas Opera. In the same year, Talbot was awarded the prestigious for The Winter's Tale. Future works include a concertoPhotograph for the 1865ac- claimed guitarist Miloš Karadaglić (summer 2018); a Cantata commissioned by Independent Opera for Britten Sinfonia and Britten Sinfonia Voices; a second opera for Dallas; and a third narrative ballet with Christopher Wheeldon.

Source: jobytalbot.com/about/

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLIMBING MT. EVEREST

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary, a 33-year-old beekeeper from New Zealand and his Nepalese-born guide Tenzing Norgay, stood at the top of Everest as the first people to summit the mountain in recorded history. While Hillary and Norgay were the first to successfully reach the top of Everest, over 3,500 more climbers have tried since then. Every year, the quest to reach Tenzing Norgay (left) and Sir Edmund Hil- the top of the mountain becomes more popular, and more and more climbers lary. Photo courtesy of nepaltour.info are hiring guides and Sherpas to help them get to the top. This influx of commer- cially guided climbing expeditions is causing a massive buildup of garbage and human waste on the mountain. Aside from the waste, climbing Everest with or without the help of guides is still an incredibly risky venture, and over 200 bod- ies of climbers who have perished in the attempt lay scattered and frozen across the mountain’s upper reaches. Too dangerous to pull them out, they exist as a reminder to all who would go forth of the perils of reaching the top of the world’s highest peak. was identified as the world's highest mountain in 1856, and officers began discussing the possibility of climbing it in the 1890s. The Royal Geographic Society and Alpine Club carried out the first expedition in 1921. The British attempted six unsuccessful climbs, then in 1951, received permission from Nepal to explore the south- ern route in the expedition that served as Edmund Hillary's introduction to the region. A year later, one of the most expe- rienced Sherpas of the area, Tenzing Norgay, made an attempt with the Swiss. A Royal Geographic Society and Alpine Club-sponsored expedition recruited both Hillary and Tenzing in ‘53, paving the way for their successful first ascent. The next challenge was forging new routes. Up to that point, everyone ascending from the West had stuck largely to the British route up the Southeast Ridge. Between the 1960s and 1980s, Everest's other routes, up the formidable West Ridge, Southwest Face and East Face, were all attempted. In the 1970s and 80s, climbers continued to expand the definition of what was possible on Everest. Japanese climber Tabei Junko became the first woman to climb Everest in May 1975, backed by an all-female expedition, except for the male Sherpas. On May 8, 1978, Italian Reinhold Messner and his Austrian climbing partner Peter Habeler climbed Ever- est without supplemental oxygen. Messner went on to complete the first solo climb of the mountain in 1980, an endeav- or that left him, as he described, "physically at the end of my tether." After Messner, others found new limits to push, both within themselves and on the mountain. In 1980 a Polish team completed the first winter ascent, and in 1986, two Swiss climbers—Jean Troillet and Erhard Loretan—broke record times, climbing the North Face in 41.5 hours and descending in 4.5 hours. French climber Jean-Marc Boivin paraglided from the summit in 1988, and in 2001, American Erik Weihenmayer navigated the enormous trek despite the fact that he is blind. Despite the dangers, the popularity of climbing Everest is only growing. The number of Everest ascents from 1988 to 2003 mushroomed from 200 to 1,200. Multiple ascents per day became common, and it was reported that nearly 90 people were successful on a single day in May 2001. This is in large part what led to the devastating tragedy in 1996 on which Everest, the opera, is based upon, with 30+ people attempting to summit on the same day.

The growing numbers bother many. Hillary has taken issue with the disregard of today’s climbers for the seriousness of the task. He once remarked, “I feel sorry for today's climbers trying to find something new and interesting to do on the mountain, something that will get both the public attention and the respect of their peers. Up and down the mountain in 24 hours, a race to the top—what will they think of next?"

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EVEREST OPERA SYNOPSIS

Setting the Scene

Everest, May 10-11, 1996:

Bad weather has affected this year's climbing season, and now multiple expeditions are attempting to summit on the same day. A bottleneck of climbers at the notorious Hillary Step has delayed the progress of 's group and he now finds himself near the top of the mountain with his client Doug Hansen, long after the agreed turnaround time has passed. Unbeknownst to the two mountaineers, a ferocious storm is brewing below. Meanwhile, further down the mountain, another of Rob's clients, Beck Weath- ers, lies unconscious as the storm rages around him.

SYNOPSIS

From the shadows of Mount Everest, the spirits of all those who have died attempting to reach the summit sing to Beck Weathers, who is unconscious on the mountain’s South Col. These spirits now turn their attention to Rob Hall, the expedition leader and guide, who is just reaching Everest’s highest peak at 2:30 p.m., thirty minutes past the safe turnaround time. Rob sees his client Doug Hansen a mere forty feet below.

The scene shifts back to Beck Weathers. In his unconscious, dreamlike state, he hallucinates that he is in his backyard enjoying a barbecue. Beck holds court and begins to describe his experiences on Everest. Suddenly, from the edge of Beck’s conscious- ness, the voice of his daughter Meg sings to him.

As we see Rob straining to help Doug reach the summit, time stops and Doug sings an aria in which he describes the tormenting deep-seated obsession that has led him to this moment. As Rob takes a picture of Doug, Rob is jarred by the memory of taking pictures of his wife, Jan.

While Rob endeavors to get his client down from the summit of Everest, we see Beck, lying, delirious, on the South Col. Once again, his daughter calls out to him in vain. From the depths of his consciousness, ruminations on his struggle with profound depression slowly merge with the memory of the events that took place on earlier that same day.

Rob is increasingly desperate. He has a disabled client on the top of the mountain as the storm begins raging around them both. Jan, Rob’s wife, is contacted and told of her husband’s life-threatening situation.

Beck, beginning to emerge from his coma, sees the climbers on the South Col huddling together in a frantic attempt to survive the storm. Beck’s internal soliloquy slowly allows him to make sense of what is happening, and to comprehend the cold, hard truth: he is dying.

In a quartet, Doug, Rob, Jan and Beck sing of their plight. As the quartet concludes, we see Rob desperately trying to get Doug to the South Summit, where he hopes they can make it through the night.

Beck has finally woken up to the harsh reality that if he is going to be saved, he will need to do it himself.

The complete opera is performed in one act, with a running time of 75 minutes.

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CAST OF CHARACTERSCAST OF CHARACTERS

NAME DESCRIPTION PLAYED BY Rob Hall Mountain Guide leading Beck Weathers’ Tenor Andrew Bidlack expedition group—married to Jan Ar- nold Beck Weathers Dallas area Doctor, left for dead twice Bass-Baritone Daniel Okulitch on the mountain Doug Hansen Climber who died on Everest Baritone Andrew Love Jan Arnold Pregnant wife of Rob Hall, during the Mezzo-Soprano Sarah Larsen attempted ascent she was at home

Guy Cotter Mountain Guide Baritone Adam Harris Mike Groom Mountain Guide Baritone Jonah Spungin Meg Weathers Daughter of Dr. Beck Weathers, who Child Mezzo- Avary Nielsen appears to him in flashbacks Soprano Jan Arnold Understudy Mezzo-Soprano Megan Miceli Meg Weathers Understudy Child Mezzo- Alex Jobs Soprano PERFORMANCE HISTORY OF AN OPERA— EVEREST

The life of an opera begins with writing and composition. company wants to perform an opera that’s already been Oftentimes there is a particular reason for writing an premiered, they usually have the option of renting the opera, such as an opera house or a wealthy patron of the original set and costumes, or they may choose to create opera commissioning a piece. There are many different their own. reasons to commission a piece: sometimes it is to see The performance of Everest in Calgary at the Jubilee certain artists come together as perhaps they were very Auditorium will have rented scenery, projections, props successful with previous operas, or perhaps there is a and costumes from the Dallas Opera performance. Our subject of interest to a patron, and artists are brought performance is the Canadian premiere, the first time the together to give the subject life as an opera performance. piece has been performed anywhere in Canada. Everest was brought together by Dr. Keith Cerny, former Here is a performance history of Everest to date: General Director of Dallas Opera. A fan of both composer Joby Talbot and librettist , Dr. Cerny wanted World premiere in Dallas, Texas, USA on January 30, 2015 to bring the two of them to together to create a new at Dallas Opera. opera. Performed in Kansas City, Missouri, USA on November 11 When an opera is completed, it is performed in a theatre to 19, 2017 at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. somewhere in the world for the first time. his is called the world premiere. The world premiere of Everest was at the European premiere in Hagen, Germany from Saturday, Dallas Opera on January 30, 2015 at the Winspear Centre May 5, 2018 to Sunday, July 1, 2018 at Theater Hagen. in Dallas, Texas. Canadian premiere in Calgary from Sat, Feb 2, 2019 to Fri, After the world premiere, other opera houses might want Feb 8, 2019 at Calgary Opera. to perform the opera at their own theatres. When an opera is first created, a set is built and costumes are found or made for all of the characters. When an opera

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAKING OF TALBOT’S EVEREST

Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain and one of the most dangerous, having claimed more than 200 lives over the past century. Until 2014's fatal avalanche, the deadliest year in recorded history was 1996: 15 people died, eight of them in a single blizzard. That disaster has been chronicled in at least five books, two documentaries and an the 2015 opera Everest.

Dr. Keith Cerny, former General Director of both Dallas Opera and our own Calgary Opera wanted to bring together the creative team of composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer to create an opera. The two artists met and hit it off, and after some discussion Gene suggested Everest as subject matter. The rest, as they say, is history.

For years, Gene Scheer was fascinated by the infamous 1996 expeditions. He wrote the libretto for Everest after travel- ing around the world to interview survivors of that doomed climb, compiling over 40 hours of interview materials. "It seems to be about both really big sorts of existential themes, coupled with these challenging circumstances these char- acters found themselves in," Scheer says.

One of the survivors he spoke to is Beck Weathers, a Dallas pathologist. At a question-and-answer session that was part of the opera's premiere in Dallas, Weathers said he was near the summit when his eyesight failed. He recalled guide Rob Hall's advice. "He said, 'I don't want you climbing. And I want you to promise me that you're going to stay here till I come back,'" Weathers recounted. "I said, 'Cross my heart, hope to die, I'm sticking.' It never occurred to me he would never come back."

The job of turning those stories and their setting into music fell to British composer Joby Talbot. The 47-year old has written for film, television and ballet, but this was his first opera. Talbot says he was especially eager to create a sound world around the peak. "There's the voice of the mountain — that's one of the first thoughts I had," he says. "I was looking for the sound to represent this fickle, terrifying entity. So I was looking for rock cracking under the pressure, and the cold wind perpetually whistling past."

Talbot used percussion instruments to convey the cracking rocks and ice. At certain points, the groaning mountain is evoked by bass drum rubbed with an inflated rubber ball. At the time of the premiere he explained, “With one of the other bass drums, we've taped strings to the underside of the bass drum so when you hit it, they rattle like a huge ,” pausing to laugh he said, “I'm giving you all my trade secrets."

Craig Verm, who sang in the world premiere in Dallas, said about the show, “Joby has brilliantly incorporated lots of breaths so we can move with our body and gasp for air in between words and between phrases, to give the illusion that we really are suffering from hypoxia."

Hypoxia — lack of oxygen — and cold almost killed Beck Weathers in 1996. He fell into a hypothermic coma after the blizzard blew in, and was left for dead by two different teams, an accepted practice on Everest as at a certain altitude, trying to carry a body out would have the almost certain effect of killing those attempting the rescue. Fifteen hours later, he woke up.

"My recollection of it was literally of waking up in my own bed. I looked down and I saw my dead hand on my right arm," Weathers says. "And I hit it, and of course it was completely frozen solid, so it bounced — which actually was a good thing because it brought me out of my reverie and pointed out to me that I was, in fact, not in my bed."

Weathers lost both hands and parts of his face to frostbite — and yet, today, he doesn't regret the trip. "If I knew ex- actly what happened, every bit of the pain and the misery and everything that was awful about this, I would do it again," he says.

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SET AND PROJECTIONS IN THE OPERA

The set of Everest is very unique. Designed by Robert Brill, it is built of 88 white cubes attached to an armature, or sup- porting structure. It was designed to be able to tour and so the armature, once put together, can be wheeled around. The entire piece is wheeled out onto the stage and stays there for the entire show. There are four vertical sections of truss at the rear that support the cubes. In addition, three scaffold towers at the back of the stage provide access to the high cubes from the rear. Not an easy set to set up! This set is also a very modern example of an opera set, indicating that the opera itself will be new and exciting. This set shows the direction that mod- ern opera is moving into and uses modern building techniques and projection techniques to tell the story. During the performance, the singers climb, stand on and even jump rope (the young Meg Weathers, daughter of Dr. Beck Weathers) on the blocks. As mentioned, the set doesn’t move, so to provide action and interest during the show a variety of images are projected onto the blocks. The projections were designed by Elaine McCarthy, who is an American projection and video designer. The giant white cubes become cliffs and peaks as easily as they transform into a distant base camp or hallucinated backyard barbeque. These changes of projection draw the attention to certain areas of the set where the action is happening, working very much like a set change in a more traditional opera. In a classic opera piece the curtain would close, one set would be removed, the new one pulled out or down, the curtains would open and voila! The next piece of the story could be told. Here, the projections turn on and off in different areas, to let us know that we are seeing a new part of the story.

Image from Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s production of Everest, 2017.

In this image you can clearly see the complexity of the 88 cubes that the set is com- posed of, as well as the effect of the projections being shown on the boxes.

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AN OPERA IN MUSIC

The music of Everest is quite unique. Not only does the opera have music and singing in it, it also has a series of differ- ent types of sound such as shortwave radio static, crowd whispering, backyard bbq guests chattering and wind howl- ing. These various sounds are created in different ways with recordings, one of the singers talking instead of singing and with the varied musical instruments of the orchestra.

For every Calgary Opera performance at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, the Opera hires the Calgary Philhar- monic Orchestra to play the music. The orchestra must follow the notes of the composer of the piece in order to know how many and which instruments to use. In the case of Everest, the composer made some very untraditional choices with the instruments, even requesting a new type of instrument that has recently been invented called the Aluphone. As composers in the 16 and 1700s would have used the instruments available to them then, modern composers have the option of using modern instruments in their orchestration. The percussion alone in this orchestra includes the following instruments: , aluphone, , tubular bells, , tuned , china , sizzle cymbal, ride cymbal, suspended , thunder sheet, snare drum, temple blocks, , puili sticks, small triangle, egg shaker, low jam block, wood birds, rattle, finger cymbals, , 2 bass drums, 2 tam-tams, wind machine and slapstick. Whew! The music itself is dissonant, or lacking harmony. This is not a bad thing, but is rather a description of the music. There are very few passages in the opera that one would whistle after seeing the production. This dissonance works to make the audience understand that we are jumping around in time and space, and also to evoke the feeling of being on Ever- est, an extreme mountaintop environment where nothing can survive, a cold and barren landscape where humans come to achieve their dreams of climbing the highest mountain on earth. The music makes us uncomfortable, like the characters are, climbing without being able to breathe due to the lack of oxygen at such high elevations. It is very emo- tional and very effective at telling the story.

Crotales—image courtesy of Steve Weiss Music Aluphone—image courtesy of Steve Weiss Music

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FOR TEACHERS

Dear Teachers and parents, Everest is an opera rich in content, both entertaining and educational. In addition to the information found in this study guide, I am including the activities and questions below to help you bring this content to your classroom according to your students’ needs. WARNING: This opera contains strong language and mature subject matter. We recommend all audience members be +13. ACTIVITIES, DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH: 1. As mentioned on page 15,“ An Opera in Music”, there are many types of percussion instruments used in the orchestra of Everest. Have your students look up several they have never heard of before and find out the history, when they were created and other performances that used those instruments. 2. Have the students study this website: https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Everest. Have them answer the following questions: • In the beginning of the article there are many alternate names for Mt. Everest. Have the students tell you what Everest is called in different cultures and different languages. Have them look up these names to find out what they mean. • How did Mt. Everest get the name that we know it by? • Why is there a dispute as to the exact height of Everest? 3. Have your students watch this video: https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/0000014c-37b0-ddb8-a94d- 77b45e4e0000 Have a discussion about what you’ve watched and include these questions: • Why do the Sherpa do what they do? • Does it seem worth it? Would it be worth it to you? • What would you do if you lived there? • Why do we hear so much more about the climbers and so little about the Sherpa here in Canada?

16 Everest Study Guide

REFERENCES

Batta, Andras. Opera. Composers, Works, Performers. Cologne: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft, 2000 Bishop, Barry C., Hunt, John, Wilfrid, Cuthbert, (Francis) Noyce, Tenzing, Norgay, Venables, Stephen, last updated 2018. Mount Everest; Geology, Height, Exploration and Deaths. [accessed December 19th, 2018]. https:// www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Everest

Gambino, Megan, 2008. Conquering Everest ; A history of climbing the world’s tallest mountain. [accessed December 19th, 2018]. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/conquering-everest-22118304/

Ganeri, Anita and Barber, Nicola. The Young Person’s Guide to the Opera. London: Pavilion Books Ltd., 2001

Grout, Donald Jay. A Short History of Opera. Columbia University Press, 1988.

Martin, George. The Opera Companion. London: John Murray Publishers, 1984

Opera Quotations. Edited by Claire Lipscomb. Watford: Exley Publications Ltd, 1998

Orrey, Leslie. A Concise History Of Opera. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1972

Walsh, Michael. Who’s Afraid of Opera? Simon & Schuster, 1994

Womack, Catherine, 2015. With Everest, the Dallas Opera Looks Forward. [accessed December 19th, 2018]. https:// www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2015/02/with-everest-the-dallas-opera-looks-forward/

Zeeble, Bill, 2015. The Cold Wrath of Nature, Given Operatic Voice. [accessed December 19, 2018]. https:// www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2015/02/04/383888665/the-cold-wrath-of-nature-given-operatic-voice

2013. Biography: Leonard Foglia. [accessed December 19th, 2018]. http://www.kennedy-center.org/Artist/A11770

2018. Joby Talbot Composer. [accessed December 17, 2018]. http://www.jobytalbot.com/about/

17 Everest Study Guide