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Margaret Garner An opera in two acts by Richard Danielpour Libretto by Toni Morrison

In one of pre-Civil War America's most significant fugitive slave stories, a young woman named MARGARET GARNER fled Kentucky's Maplewood Plantation in 1856 to freedom in Ohio. But when captured, she killed her own children, rather than see them returned to the bonds of slavery. Her trial sparked intense national debate; should she be tried for murder in free Ohio, or for property destruction in the slave state of Kentucky? Both sides saw in their differences nothing short of the simmering roots of civil war. She was also among the first slaves to assert a woman's right that her children are her own and not the "property" of her slavemaster.

Grammy Award-winning composer RICHARD DANIELPOUR and Nobel Laureate TONI MORRISON’s opera Margaret Garner, is based on this remarkable tale, as was Morrison’s Beloved. Hailed as a “great new opera” and a “hand-in-glove masterpiece” by the Detroit News when it opened in 2005, this important and timely work explores contemporary attitudes toward race relations in America and how vital it is to reconcile past and present in order to create a harmonious future.

With a run of over 17 performances, the opera played to sold-out houses and was co-commissioned by Michigan Opera Theater, Cincinnati Opera, and Opera Company of Philadelphia and drew thousands of first-time operagoers from diverse communities.

“A great new American opera came to life with the world premiere of Margaret Garner… A hand-in-glove masterpiece of words fitted to music. Danielpour's vocal setting seems instinctively attuned to these hardy people making the best of their difficult lives. [He] gives the black characters music that echoes black traditions like spiritual, gospel and field music. It's never merely ersatz folk music, but a recognizable idiom wholly absorbed and converted into authentic expression. The rhetoric is pure Danielpour -- ardent, vivid, direct and absorbing. All told, no less can be said of his splendid first opera.” Detroit News

“With “Margaret Garner,” Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison have created something not seen since the Gershwin brothers penned “Porgy and Bess”—a first-class opera that can draw both black and white audiences - [which] features more than one show-stopping aria.” New Yorker

“Michigan Opera Theatre used a commissioned work to reach out to the large African American population of its hometown, and was rewarded with a well-made, affecting American opera whose appeal goes far beyond tokenism. The music is particularly good at expressing the humanity and depth of feeling of the slave characters through arias and ensembles. Mr. Danielpour wrote several knockout arias for Margaret. His energy and creativeness extend to the colorful orchestration, full of vibrant string writing and wind solos as well as wonderful little touches. Co- commissioning opera companies will be presenting the work, but other companies are bound to take note as well.”

The Wall Street Journal

“Its resounding opening night success, an all-but-flawless triumph, must be attributed to the production’s smooth polish and, on a deeper level, to the many buttons it pushes. It is both progressive and conservative, risky and predictable. The lesson is clear: engage an audience on multiple levels and you’re likely to produce a new hit opera.”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The World Premiere was nothing short of revelatory. The two-act opera was by turns heart-rending, poignant and gut wrenching to watch. The audience interrupted with applause, bravos, and chuckles in the sweeter moments and roaring ovations at its conclusion. It was a first taste of Danielpour's sophisticated, wide-ranging palette. Seamlessly joined to the music were Morrison's powerful, eloquent words, in what may be the most exquisitely crafted libretto of our time.” Cincinnati Enquirer

“Danielpour has composed a melting pot in tones…The musical language hews to gracious harmonies.”

New York Times

“Margaret Garner turns out to be an honorable achievement. Danielpour's music is a skillful stew of American idioms and influences, ranging from spirituals, folk and jazz. Some of the most effective moments are choral - there are two choruses: African-American and white - which possess an infectious energy and haunting humanity. Danielpour writes gracefully for voices and magnificently for instruments. The diverse audience at Saturday's premiere cheered the cast and creative team as if a masterpiece had been born.” The Plain-Dealer (Cleveland)

“The roar echoing through the packed confines of Detroit's Opera House … was of a magnitude ordinarily associated with winning touchdowns at closely contested football games. The production seems set for a considerable afterlife.” Toronto Star

“In the end, the risk paid off in an important new American work. He is most effective at his most songful Margaret's gorgeous first-act aria A Quality Love or her bleak out-of-time intermezzo of darkness and despair after the murders. These are deeply expressive passages full of authentic emotionalism and even mystery: You can't fake tune writing this effective.” Free-Press (Detroit)

“Morrison has created flesh-and-blood characters anyone of any race can immediately identify with… "Margaret Garner" has entered the annals of American opera history with its debut…and judging by the opening night cheers (of the magnitude more commonly heard across the street where the Tigers play baseball) this opera may become a monumental hit -- as well it should.” Saginaw News (Michigan)

“Richard Danielpour's "Margaret Garner" was a celebration—a tale of liberation—and a triumph of music, drama and performance. No question that Morrison's poignant text and Danielpour's music have the power to open the doors of opera houses to a more diverse audience. An outstanding account of this new masterpiece, which drew a standing ovation from the audience.” Associated Press

“Without the prestige of a world premiere Margaret Garner must succeed solely on artistic merits. And...It’ll do fine. Luckily, the opera achieves firm footing quickly. Morrison has moments of poetic wisdom. Musically, the pace of Danielpour's score is brisk…[with] masterly orchestration. The music achieves mesmerizing depths, partly for being contrasted with the prevailing social culture. The strengths of Margaret Garner are so considerable and wide- ranging that the piece is legitimately destined to make new friends for opera without alienating old ones.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Powerful 'Margaret Garner' cuts across the scar of America's original sin…Translating the shame of slavery to the operatic stage would be a daunting task for any artist. But composer Richard Danielpour, working with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, has brought it off to stunning effect in his opera "Margaret Garner.“

Chicago Tribune

Margaret Garner has been featured in the following (partial list): PBS NewsHour, O Magazine, The New York Times (Arts & Leisure and Travel), Chicago Tribune and Sun Times, NY Observer, Vanity Fair, Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership Compass magazine, Gramophone, Philadelphia Inquirer, Elle, Essence, Cincinnati Enquirer, Billboard, Financial Times of London, Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Detroit News, Toronto Star, New York Magazine, New Yorker, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Chicago Magazine, EbonyJet, Opera News, Detroit Free Press, NPR

Margaret Garner Commissioned by Michigan Opera Theater, Cincinnati Opera, and Opera Company of Philadelphia

World Premiere: May 7, 2005, Michigan Opera Theater, with subsequent performances at Cincinnati Opera in July 2005, and Opera Company of Philadelphia in February 2006

Libretto Toni Morrison Publisher Associated Music Publishers Inc (part of Music Sales Classical) Category Opera and Music Theatre Sub Category Grand Opera Year Composed 2005 Duration 2 Hours 25 Minutes Chorus SATB Black Chorus, 32 voices minimum; SATB White Chorus, 32 voices minimum Language English Orchestration: 3(pic).2(ca).3(bcl).3(cbn)/4.3Ctpt.2+btbn.1/timp.3perc/hp.pf(cel)/str (min 10.8.6.6.5 players)

Principal Roles: Secondary Roles: Margaret Garner, Mezzo-soprano Casey, Dramatic Tenor Robert Garner, Lyric Baritone Caroline Gaines, Light Lyric Soprano Cilla, Dramatic Soprano George Hancock, Tenor Edward Gaines, Lyric Baritone Auctioneer, a Professional Salesman (doubles as Judge I) Lyric Tenor 3 Judges**, from chorus (T, Bar, B-Bar) 2 Militia Officers, non-singing role Margaret’s 2 Children, non-singing roles The Townspeople/The Guests***, SATB White Chorus (Composer Recommends 32 voices) The Slaves*, SATB Black Chorus (Composer Recommends 32 Voices)

*Although much latitude is possible in casting, Margaret Garner does require these roles be sung by African-American performers **These roles can be sung by members of White Chorus ***It is essential that the TOWNSPEOPLE be exclusively White Performers. Also, the White Chorus must outnumber the “Slave Chorus”

MARGARET GARNER Synopsis

ACT ONE

The opera begins in darkness. A group of slaves, begging for deliverance from their suffering, gradually becomes visible.

The scene shifts to an auction being held in Kentucky in 1856. In the crowd is Edward Gaines, a native of the region but absent for twenty years. When Maplewood Plantation is brought to the block, he interrupts the proceedings, asserting that it cannot be sold as it belonged to his deceased brother. Gaines is dismayed to learn that the townsfolk don’t remember him, but no one disputes his claim, so he acquires Maplewood. As Gaines signs ownership papers, he is captivated by the singing of Margaret Garner, one of the slaves. He nostalgically recalls his childhood, and promises himself that this time the townsfolk will not forget him.

The slaves return from another day’s toil in the fields. Cilla, the mother of Margaret's husband, Robert, joins the couple for supper; their spirits are light-hearted until Casey, Maplewood's foreman, arrives with shocking news. Robert is being sent away that night to another plantation, but Margaret is to remain at Maplewood -- where she will work, at the Master's request, in the main house.

Gaines hosts a lavish reception to celebrate his daughter Caroline's marriage. An argument erupts between Edward and his new son-in-law, George, about the nature of love; to break the tension, the newlyweds begin a waltz. After the dance, Caroline asks Margaret, now the house servant, for her views on love. The guests are outraged to hear her solicit a slave's opinion, and leave abruptly. Offended, Gaines lashes out at Caroline. Later, Gaines lingers, unseen, to watch Margaret clean the parlor. He accosts her, forcibly dragging her away.

ACT TWO

Anticipating a visit from Robert, Margaret goes to Cilla's cabin. She becomes agitated when she finds her packing and the children missing, until Cilla discloses that Robert plans an escape attempt that evening. Margaret is overwhelmed when he arrives and confirms the news, but disconcerted that Cilla refuses to join them. Casey suddenly storms into the cabin; a struggle ensues which ends with Robert strangling Casey to death.

Robert and Margaret escape from Maplewood, and are living in an underground shed in Ohio. Robert asserts that freedom and dignity are nearly theirs. But Gaines suddenly arrives to claim his property, and captures Robert. Margaret attempts to burn Gaines with fiery coals, and witnesses his men lynching Robert. Enraged, she murders her children so they will be spared slavery's horrors.

Darkness again envelops the stage briefly. With defiant grandeur, Margaret then embraces her life's circumstances.

Gaines transports Margaret back to Kentucky to stand trial for the "theft and destruction" of the children, considered his property. Caroline protests that Margaret should properly be charged with murder, for the children were human beings. The judges sentence Margaret to be executed for theft. When Caroline begs her father to seek clemency, Gaines realizes he must choose between the love of his radical daughter and a traditional way of life.

Great sorrow fills the air as the townsfolk await Margaret's execution. At dawn, she is led to the scaffold. Gaines runs in, waving a document -- the judges have granted Margaret clemency! On the gallows, Margaret expresses her desire to live peacefully in a just world, and then seizes "freedom" by hanging herself. Edward realizes that peace never will be his. Although he made the "right" choice -- to fight for Margaret's freedom -- he did it for the wrong reason: he wanted to win his daughter's respect. The onlookers proclaim a need for repentance, and pray that Margaret's final journey home is a peaceful one.

-- Mary Lou Humphrey

A note on “Margaret Garner”

I began to seriously entertain the idea of composing an opera as early as 1994, when I was at work on completing my first ‘cello concerto for Yo-Yo Ma and the San Francisco Symphony. I had started to see that so many of my concert works were akin to “secret operas”—instrumental or vocal works with a hidden dramatic scenario. Realizing that I had been, in effect, an opera composer in disguise, I began to ask myself what the criteria would be for an opera that I would actually write. I settled on three requirements. One, not only did I need a strong story, but in addition a narrative involving great tension, a great dilemma and ultimately a commensurate and compelling catharsis. Secondly, I wanted a text that would make music a natural and viable part of the drama. I’ve dreaded going to performances in which it was apparent that the opera in question could just as easily have been a play or film. I knew that I would hate to have an audience ask, “…why are these people singing?” Lastly, I knew that with a great story, the actual language in the libretto would have to exist somewhere between prose and poetry. This would ensure that the words coming out of the mouths of the singers/characters would not allow them to sound/look awkward on stage.

When Toni Morrison and I met for lunch in New York City in early July 1996, we each had an idea to propose to the other; little did we know that we were not only each proposing an opera, but an opera based on the same story about Margaret Garner! I knew soon enough that although Toni Morrison had never written a libretto before, that she would be the ideal person for this opera, she possessed a deep identification with the story, having used the historical account as material for one of her greatest novels, and intuitively understood from the start my prerequisites for the opera as if they were her own as well. It bears mentioning here that in addition to her already extraordinary gifts, Toni Morrison was able to assimilate so much of what was needed to create a libretto -- her first libretto -- in what amounted to a relatively small span of time. That she was able to do this with such grace and steadiness was astounding. Her coolness under pressure and her unwavering confidence in our working relationship were a constant inspiration to me.

We began working on a treatment for “Margaret Garner” as early as January 1998. As we exchanged ideas, I quickly started to feel that apart from the inherent potential of the story for the stage, an inner urgency about writing the work began to take hold of me. Composers write some works because they want to and others because they need to do so. Toni began to give me a crash course in the unofficial history of America since the Civil War, through a different perspective—one that would never be found in most high school or college textbooks. What I understood was that the story that we were choosing was an archetype of perhaps the single greatest unhealed wound in our country’s history, and that class and economics played just as great a role in this “wounding” as the idea of race did. Indeed, it occurred to me that perhaps the only true way to begin to heal such a wound would be by going directly into that wound—and I believe that we attempted such a thing in the creation of this opera.

It wasn’t, however, until late 1999 that our idea became a reality when David DiChiera of Michigan Opera Theatre asked to meet with me in New York. When he realized that we were indeed quite interested in seeing our work produced, he found two companies to join him in a consortium (Philadelphia and Cincinnati) and by the fall of 200, a commission was in place for us to write the opera. I saw the first five scenes of the libretto in rough draft by spring 2001, but it wasn’t until February 2002 that I began in earnest to compose the work. Nearly three years later, in early December 2004, the work was finally completed. Within that time I had written the work on two continents (North America and Europe), had been involved in two workshops (August 2003 and August 2004), and had made literally thousands of alterations and rewrites, both large and small to the work which will finally be heard this year.

-RD, March 2005

USEFUL LINKS:

Act I Opera Carolina

Act II Opera Carolina

NPR Radio Segment

New York City Opera trailer

PBS NewsHour (transcript only)

MARGARET GARNER: a documentary film by Mustapha Hasnaoui - trailer

Act 2 scene 2

New York City Opera

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Margaret Garner offers substantial opportunity for educational and community outreach, here’s a sampling of previous activities:

Margaret Garner Launch event – NY Historical Society (in conjunction with Slavery Exhibit, Black History Month) with panel discussion with artistic team.

Underground Railroad Conference, Albany, NY – “The Narrative Arc of Margaret Garner’s Life and Beyond” – Delores M. Walters, Ph.D.

Skidmore College, Saratoga, NY - Margaret Garner was the centerpiece of the 2007 McCormick residency at Skidmore College. This included a staging of act one, scene two as well as events which rippled through the entire college across all disciplines.

Classical Theatre of Harlem - Medea –Harlem School of the Arts – “Margaret” and a pianist program

VOX Panel Discussion – Diversity in American opera - NYU Skirball Center

Copland House: Flight to Freedom: The Story of Margaret Garner, one hour retelling of the story, presenting highlights from the opera in a one-hour performance. Mezzo-soprano Krysty Swann, baritone Jorell Williams, soprano Christine Whack, baritone Liam Bonner, narrated by The Rev. Carlye J. Hughes. Also presented at Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose and New Rochelle High School.

Manhattan School of Music: student performance of excerpts and discussion with Richard Danielpour

Ragtime Walking tour

The Immigrant Experience for African-Americans and Jews – Tenement Museum moderated discussion including E.L. Doctorow

Schomburg Center Moderated discussion by City Opera's dramaturge Cori Ellison with. Morrison, Danielpour, Thompson, Cornel West

Book events at Borders, Barnes & Nobel and libraries throughout the tri-state area with Steven Weisenberger (SMU), author of Modern Medea (1998) Morrison book discussion groups and the Toni Morrison Society

Museum of TV and Radio event: Documentaries

University and legal professional’s event CCNY, Columbia (African-American Studies centers) exploring the legal issues of the Garner case

Symphony Space/NPR - Selected Shorts Short fiction by Morrison, Doctorow or Other African-Americans

Art event at Studio Museum

Local Underground Railroad event

Northwestern University - residency with Danielpour surrounding the opera in conjunction with Michigan Opera Theater run of Margaret Garner in Chicago at the Roosevelt Theatre.

Berklee College if Music – Nearly 200 students from the school came to Lincoln Center just prior to NY City Opera run, to look behind the scenes of the performance, then Richard Danielpour spent time at the school working with students.

Apollo Theater preview event

For Information contact:

Elizabeth Dworkin Dworkin & Company [email protected] 914-244-3803