THEOOOPER~ONFORUM November 14, 1980, Spm
THE BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIA 27th Season: 1980/1981 LUKAS FOSS, Music Director
MEET THE MODERNS 1: MUSIC + DRAMA two one-act operas
THE CRY OF CLYTAEMNESTRA THE EGG Music by John Eaton an operatic riddle Libretto by Patrick Creagh Music and Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti New York premiere New York premiere RICHARD DUNCAN, conductor LUKAS FOSS, conductor Staging by Maurice Edwards Staging by Maurice Edwards Lighting by William Mintzer Lighting by William Mintzer Sound Co-ordinator: Lonnie Juli Costumes by Constance Mellen
Cast Cast (in o rder of appearance) (in o rder of appearance)
ClytaernJlt'~tra Quec•11 o{ Ar,J~e>S ...... elcla elson Manuel ...... Martin Strother lphygene1a eldest dau,J~hter o{ C/ytaemnestra St Simeon Stylites ...... joseph Levitt !111(/ A.I!Cllll£'11111011 ...... • • • . • . • Sally Wolf BasJIJssa Empress o{ ByzantiUm ( Pnde} ...... Edith Diggory Agamemnon KJII,JI of ArJioS . • ...... • • . Tim o ble Areobindus. {avonte o{the Bas111ssa (Lust} ...... Steven Nelson Ody~seus ...... Ri chard Walker Gourmantus, the cook (Gluttony} ...... Ted Adkins Menelaus ...... ·- ...... Brian Trego Eunuch of the Sacred Cubicle !Slot hi ...... Richard Walker DJOilll'tks ...... Martin Strother Pachomius. the treasurer (A vance} ...... Jon Fay TnKer ...... Steven Nelson Sister of the BasJIJssa !Envyl ...... Paula Redd Calcha~. HlJih Pnest...... joseph Levitt Julian, Capt am o{ the Guard (Anger} (silent role} ...... Brian Trego Acl11llcs ...... Jon Fay Beggar Woman ...... Sarah Miller Electra. dauxhter o{ C/ytaem11estra and !Chorusl ...... Axamemncm. as a ch1ld ...... Abby Tate Members of the Basi IIssa's Court Sally Wolf, Martha Waltman Rebecca Field, Glenn Siebert, Colenton Freeman Orestes. so11 o{ Clytaem>lestra and Agamemnon, as a child ...... Estela Eaton, Gilly White CREDITS Acg1sthus, Clytaemnestra's lover ...... Colen ton Freeman Musical Preparallon R1chard Duncan Cas~andra Pmrcess o(Troy ...... Edith Diggory Ass1stant to Mr Mintzer· Kath1 Reid Electra ...... Rebecca Field Assistant to Ms Mellen Wren Cooper Orestes ...... Glenn Siebert Wardrobe Superv1ser· Robert SnJecJOski Custom Electronic Keyboard Instrument by Robert Moog Thanks to Baldw10 P1ano Company for the quarter tone piano (Intermission} Special thanks to Indiana University Opera Theatre.
The Baldwin is the official piano of the Brooklyn Philharmonia
Spec1al acknowledgements to Richard W D~rksen Precentor, and jane lrvJO. Arrangements Secretary. of the Wash10gton Cathedral, for mak10g the costumes for THE EGG available
This concert was made possible in part with public funds from the City of Ne:-v York, Department of Cultural Affairs Administration, the New York State Council in the Arts. and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Brooklyn Phliharmon•a and Cooper Union wish to express their thanks to the following for special assistance in making these concerts poss1ble: Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust City of New York, Department of Cultural Affairs J.M Kaplan Fund, Inc Mobil Foundallon The Virgil Thomson Foundallon
Henry C. Alter D~rt:etor of th~ Fomm Marion B. Ferri. Assistant D1r~ctor THE PROGRAM
THE CRY OF CLYTAEM~ESTRA, spec1ous reason mg. and finally makes amorous S1meon 111 the desert and pleads for water Synopsis advances. She repels him with violent v1tuper· After accusmg h1m of bemg the devil and then Tht· ''P~ra ~~ set m Argos, a fc,~ days bdort• atwn realizing that he IS 111deed his nephew, St. Si lht• n·turn of Agamemnon from the TroJan He runs to Clytaemnestra who calls her meon listens to Manuel's pleas Simeon insists \\'ar though other scen~s remcmber~d or im children to attempt a reconciliation, explaining he IS no samt, but a mere sinner hoping for .l):lncd by Clytaemncstra take place on Aulis to Electra that she needs Aeg1sthus in order to forg1veness by praying and fasting. It'll \'t•ar~ ~fore (the sacnficc of lph1gt•ne1a) at govern the country But-not know111g that Manuel presents his story of social rejection Tro~· (the prophce~es of Cassandra as spoken to Aeg1sthus has made advances to Electra and and fa1lure and asks what is the meaning of A):.lllH:mnonl and 111 the future 1n Argos (the thereby morally betrayed her-she miSinter life S1meon tells him the fable of the egg: an nnmkr of Agam~mnon) The action is seen prets Electra s att1tude and sparks off a violent angel flew by him one Easter and gave him an from Clyta~mnestra s point of ~iew reaction by her daughter against them both for egg. telling him that by breaking it the secret of Coue~s~ly . The C'r}· of Clytaemnestra IS an 1n their adultery and betrayal of Agamemnon life would be revealed to him. After pondering tt•nst· pt·rsonal drama showmg the agony and Th1s turns 1nto a family row, in which its mystery, and deciding it was keeping him ~ufknng~ wh1ch lead Clytaemncstra to dec1de Aeg1sthus. anxious to get nd of Electra for fear fr om prayer, Simeon threw the egg away. He to kill ht:r hu~band Agamemnon-a decision she should g1ve away h1s conduct demands tells Manuel that if he can find the egg in the lmo~t un1que 1n anc1ent Greek theater in that that the children be sent away to relieve an 111· desert 11 IS his The scene ends with Manuel 11 1' made out of her own convicllon without tolerable situation findmg the egg. and joyously proclaiming that the prnmptmgs of gods or oracles or fate. Clytaemnestra wishes to be left alone With 111 11 is the solution to his troubles. Simeon The opera opens w1th a cry Clytaemne~tra, Electra and once more tnes to explam herself shoos him away, as he wants to catch up on his 111 a fu of uucontrollablt: gncf IS se~kmg for to the g1rl and just1fy her conduct But th1s only prayers. but Manuel asks to tell him what he her loug·dead daughter lphig~n~1a , but prays leads to such a terrible denunciatiOn that Cly· finds if he succeeds m openmg it. that sht• might forget the horror of that taemnestra is broken down by it She ends by Scene II opens w1th Manuel before the Em memorv But th1s she cannot do and wt• sn· ordenng Electra to leave the palace even at the press Basllissa He has told the story of his what sht: remembers the Gr~ek pnnce~ pt•r pnce of losmg Orestes along w1th her. precious egg and has been scorned and ~uadmg Agamemnon to sacnfice h1s own Alone now, Clytaemnestra laments the loss threatened with death for being an impostor daughtt:r to gam a fa1r wmd for Troy of hl•r children, the death of lph1geneia. and But the Empress IS 111terested in his fantastic lph1gent:1a herself 111 happ1er days at home the pas~ing away of mnocence In a final pro· story Manuel tells her that he, as well as St. Si· and finally tht· way 111 wh1ch the g1rl1S tnckt•d lt'-'>l agamst the InJUStice of the f<1te with wh1ch meon could not crack the egg. Her reply: by Agamemnon, and killed hy h11n for women ilrt' cursed she reaches such a p1 tch of Give it to me, to the sublime Basilissa sole reawns of state". f rt'nl)" that she loses COnSCIOUSness represcntallve of Christ on Earth, the egg will She comes out of her broodmg and tries to UnconsciOus. she dreams that Agamemnon surely open " She calls in Gourmantus, who pt·rsuade her lover Aeg1sthus to he less harsh has rt•turned Sht' welcomes hm1 fulsomely proposes a spectacular recipe, but one which towards her children The scene develops mto prt•p;lring a ritual bath and hcggmg him to put ultimately fails-the egg will not open. Priscus a funous quarrel, in the cours~ of wh1ch on LUKAS FOSS, Music Director years, and has guest conducted the Berhn Milwaukee Symphony while continuing his At the age of 18 Lukas Foss was widely Philharmonic the Lenmgrad Symphony, the commitment to the Brooklyn Philharmonia, known as a musical wunderk.md", and was Tokyo Philharmonic and the Santa Cecilia Or· which he has brought into national pro· already a graduate of the Curtis Institute of chestra in Rome, among others In the U S., he mmence over the past ten years. Mustc where he stud1ed conducting with Fritz has conducted almost all the major orchestras, Lukas Foss is one of the country's leading Remer Shortly thereafter he was taken under including the Chicago Symphony, New York composers, and has received numerous com· the wing of Serge Koussev1tzky with whom he Philharmonic, Boston Symphony and missions, awards and honors for his music, worked at the Berkshire Music Center at Cleveland Orchestra. As Music Director of the which has been played throughout the U.S. Tanglewood Foss also stud1ed at the Yale Buffalo Philharmonic from 1963- 1970, he and Europe by world·renowned artists and School of Music in its heyday under Paul made the city a focus of national attention and ensembles. Recent premieres were given by Hindem1th, and at 23, was the youngest com a mecca for composers and performers. Prior the Cleveland Orchestra (Quintets for Or poser to be awarded a Guggenheim to this, he had the honor of being named sue· chestra). and Yehudi Menuhin, who performed Fellowship. cessor to Arnold Schoenberg as Professor of Round a Common Centre wi:h the Cantilena A "renaissance' musician, Foss is equally at Compos1tion at U.C.L.A., a post he held for ten Chamber Players at the 1980 Olympic Games home as composer, conductor, teacher, and years Foss has been Music Director of the Ojai in Lake Placid Throughout his career he has concert p1anist He has continually been at the Festival in California, has directed twelve also won wide acclaim as a concert pianist, and forefront of contemporary music, yet the broad marathon concerts at the Hollywood Bowl is best known in this field for his performances range of programs he conducts offers a fresh with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, was active and recordings of Leonard Bernstein's The Age v1ew of music from the Rena1ssance, Classical, in the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, of Anxrety and Hindemith's The Four Temper· and Romant1c penods up through the most and for two years was Director of the New aments, which he premiered Recently, he has avant·garde express1ons of many of his col· York Philharmonic's summer festival concerts been piano soloist with the Brooklyn Philhar· leagues He was Music Adv1sor and Conductor at Lincoln Center Beginning in the 1981/82 monia, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln of tht· Jerusalem Symphony in Israel for five season he will be Music Director of the Center and the Dorian Quintet. THE PROGRAM john Eaton "To be more specific, Clytaemnestra has been Ball, a one-act opera staged at the Academy of John Eaton composed his first mature opera one of the most maligned characters in the Music in Philadelphia in 1937. The acclaim he at the age of 22; since then, he has expanded whole history of drama. Her eldest daughter won from this production helped him to obtain h1s operatic oeuvre to include six more works, was taken from her by treachery and sacrificed commissions from the National Broadcasting on subjects stemming from Greek and Roman for 'reasons of state and in obedience to a Company (The Old Maid and the Th1e(. 1939), mythology !Heracles, The Cry o( Clytaemenestra, religious command. Her lover fails her and her and the Metropolitan Opera (The Island God, and The L10n and Androc/es). Russian literature children desert her. In contrast to her 1942), but the opera wh1ch gave him mterna IMyshhm, after Dostoyevsky's The ld10t) , and husband's decision to sacrifice lphigeneia, tional recognition was The Medium 11946). That thefrenc~ Revolution !Danton and Clytaemnestra decides by herself-she is one work, The Consul 11950), and The Samt o( Robesp1erre) His work in the theatre could be of the few characters in Greek drama who does Bleecker Street 11954) are considered his finest. said to follow in the expressionistic tradition of what she does out of her inner convictions, not All were produced on the Broadway stage and Berg's Lulu and Wozzech, but Eaton has infus on the order of a god or/riest or oracle-to had long runs there. ed his works with musical ideas which have murder Agamemnon; an the opera shows Other important operas are Amah/ and the come to fruition in the period since the Second through a series of punctuating cnes, her pro NiQht V1sitors 11951), written for television and World War-such as the use of microtonal and ~ ress towards this decision, from the cry of ab enjoyed by millions of children all over the electronic music. His contributions in the ject agony with which the opera opens, to the world, Maria Golovin 11958), and The Last development of both of these areas have been one complete self-realization with which it Savage 11963). Menotti is a highly honored highly noted, as much in his concert music as ends. Much of the action takes place in her composer. His operas are performed frequent in his operas. mind in the form of remembrance, imagining, ly in the U.S. and abroad, and have won him Eaton's use of electronic and microtonal and dream." the most prestigious awards-among them two mus1c is not isolated from the traditional The Cry o( Clytaemnestra is scored for 14 Pulitzer Prizes, for The Consul and The Samt, med1um of voice and orchestra. Like a number voices, flute !piccolo), oboe, clarinet IE flat and the Drama Critics Circle Award for the of other contemporary composers he is in clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet), bas best musical play of 1954 (The Samt). terested in expanding the technical capabilities soon, horn, two pianos tuned a quarter tone The composer himself has provided perhaps of voices and instruments, and from that van apart, a huge assemblage of percussion in: the most eloquent descriptions of his work: tage pomt it is a logical step towards a struments !including a tub of water, whip, flex ". in my operas, it is mostly through clear systematic use of microtones !which every atone, sandpaper blocks, anvils, and lion's and simple melody that I try to achieve my smger, string and wind player uses in the daily roar), strings and Moog synthesizer. Eaton's ex dramatic effects. The Medium is perhaps the pursuit of expressive music making)-and haustive use of instrumental· and vocal best example of what I am searching for towards electronic music, which in a sense is capabilities necessitates extensive preparation Because of The Medium's clear and sparse har an additional member of the instrument fami and intense, long, rehearsal. monic texture, it all sounds rather simple .. ly, but one with a whole new range of Gian Carlo Menotti Actually it was tremendously difficult to keep possibilities. In The Cry o( Clytaemnestra, Eaton Gian Carlo Menotti is a composer who is within the bounds I had set for myself. That is weaves microtonal and electronic music into both modern and traditional. H1s work pre to say, a simple melodic style, mobile enough the conventional fabric of voices and or sents an interest in~ paradox: it owes to 19th to adapt itself to almost any kind of dramatic chestra. Players and singers utilise microtones century opera tradition, which for many is the situation, without the help of an elaborate or to enrich their language of expression; elec· height of contrived dramatic spectacle, but at chestral accompaniment. Ironic music is carefully and naturally used in the same time his work is theatrically real, so 'lit is almost always the vocal line which is the score to increase dramatic effects. much so that it has been profoundly ap the guiding spirit of my dramatic works, and John Eaton was born in 1935 in Bryn Mawr, preciated by many people who would not very seldom the orchestra. Its lyricism, Pennsylvania, and studied music at Princeton think of entering an opera house. Although his however, is mostly evocative of some action or University with Milton Babbitt, Edward Cone, music is firmly entrenched in the tonal system conflicting emotions. It is seldom co n and Roger Sessions He is a highly respected !which he believes is the only way music can templative. It creates action, or it expresses the teacher, and IS currently Professor of Mu~ic by truly expressed), the sub_iects and dramatic feelings created by the situation of the mo and Artistic Director of the Center for Elec design of his works have followed the trends of ment Oh yes, I do let my characters sing a lit troniC and Computer Music at Indiana Univer modern theatre He has a particular genius for tle lullaby or a little folk tune here and there, sity There he has taken advantage of the creating contemporary realistic drama within but these 'songs' are really excuses to let me school's excellent stage facilities and superb the context of traditional opera. Part of the ex rest awhile from the real stru~le . . For me opera program-five of his operas have receiv planation for this may be his own gift as a the best mus1c in my works IS that which is ed stage premieres there. The 1978 Indiana writer-he has wntten the librettos for all of essential to the drama. production of Danton and Robesp1erre !libretto h1s operas "Some people think that I can set practically by Patrick Creagh) which involved 250 singers Menott1 was born in 1911 in Cadegliano, Ita anything to music, just so long as it is realistic. and an orchestra of 120, has recently been ly , and moved to the United States during his Well, they are wrong-because the search for a made available for commercial distribution by teens to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in language that may describe succintly a real ac Composers Recordings, Inc. Philadelphia, where he studied with Rosario tion, without appearing prosaic, is very, very Eaton has won international recognition as Scalcro The United States has been his home difficult. Not everything can be set to mus1c. If an opera composer IMyshhm and The L10n and since then !until his recent move to Scotland) a label must be attached to my style, why not Androcles have been seen on television and for all intents and purposes he has been that of 'emotional realism'?" throughout this country and abroad) and as a considered an American composer. At the Outside of composition, Menotti has made performer of electronic and microtonal music same time he has stuck firmly to his Italian an enormous contribution to contemporary He IS the recipient of numerous important roots, leadin~ many to classify him as a com musical life with his Festival of Two Worlds in commiSSions, honors, and awards, among poser followmg in the tradition of_ the vensmo Spoleto, Italy, and its Charleston, South them three Prix de Rome, and the award of the !realistic style) opera . of Masca~m a~d . Leon Carolina counterpart- Spoleto USA. He is also National Institute of Arts and Letters. The com cavallo He denies th1s, expressmg d1slike for known for his directorial skills-he has staged poser has submitted the following comment on the works of those composers, and citing as and directed many operas, including all of his principal influences own The Cry o( Clytaemnestra: M~~sorgsky, P~ccini , a~9 The Egg written in 1976, was commissiOned In The Cry o( Clytaemnestra, as in one of my Debussy. In his words. the express1ve mobili ty of their meloJic line fascinated '!le", and by the Washington Cathedral in Washington, prev1ous one act operas, Myshhm, I have at D.C , and first performed there in June of that tempted to see the action from one character's gave him a background for develo~;>mg_ what may be his greatest mus1cal contnbullon, a same year Other performances have taken point of v1ew Mus1c can, and at its highest place m Minneapolis and at Spoleto USA level should, directly express and affect the melodic recitative which simultaneously car ries forth and expresses the dram_atic action. tonight's performance marks the works NY bas1c human attitudes which are the well premiere. spnngs of action-hence its glorious power. Menotti's first success was Amel1a Goes to the Notes by Helen Sive Paxton ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Bass Keyboard Joseph Tamosaitis Kenneth Bowen First Violin Richard Duncan Benjamin Hudson Flute Carol Zeavin Paul Dunkel Timpani Richard Fitz Second Violin Oboe Henry Schuman Percussion Ronald Oakland Gordon Gottlieb Lenard Rivlin Clarinet Jim Price John Moses Viola Harp Janet Lyman Bassoon Karen Lindquist Maureen Gallagher Harry Searing Librarian Cello Horn David Frost Lanny Paykin Paul Ingraham Barry Gold Contractor Samuel Levitan THE BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIA, INC. Office of th e Brooklyn Philharmonia Honorary Cha irpersons Staff for the Brooklyn Phllharmonia Max L. Koeppel Chairman of the Board Hon Edward Koch Maurice Edwards, Manager Stanley H Kaplan Pres1dent Hon Eugene Gold Lola Silvergleid, Assistant to the Manager Dame! S Schwartz Executive Vice Pres1dent Hon Elliot Golden Allen Edwards, Director of Development Bernard S Barr Vice-President Hon Howard Golden Samuel Levitan, Orchestra Personnel Manager Dame! Eisenberg. Vice-Pres1dent Hon Eli1.abeth Holtzman Helen Sive Paxton, Director of Public I. Stanley Kriegel Vice-President Hon Arthur Lev1tt Relations and Community Concerts Jack Litwack V1ce- Pres1dent William Canady, Educational Director Melvin Moore M D Vice-Pres1dent Mark McElherne, Promotion Assistant Rabb1 Eugene J Sack Vice- President joseph Scorcia Vice-President Dr V Peter Mastrorocco. Secretary Vmcent Fmamore Treasurer Board o f Directors Dr. Melvin Moore Walter Fortune Alexander S. Moser .\i1chael A Armstrong Jerry Jacobs Jay B. Polonsky Arnold Badner Stanley H Kaplan Hon Fred Richmond Paul Barber Mrs Stanley H Kaplan Robert C. Rosenberg Bernard S. Barr Max L. Kot!ppel Arnold L. Sabin Mrs Bernard S Barr I Stanley Kriegel Rabbi Eugene J. Sack Mrs S1dney Bershatsky Dr Arthur Lapovsky Hon Charles Schumer \1rs Seymour Besunder Mrs Theodore Liebman Dame) S Schwartz Juhus Bloom jack L1twack Mrs. joseph Scorcia Schuyler Chaptn Mrs Salomon C Lowenstein Anthony Scotto Dr Carl D Anna Dr V Peter Mastrorocco Harry L. Schuford Damel E1senberg Cra1g G Matthews Sydney N. Stokes, Jr. Melvtn Epstem Marcella Maxwell Donald Thomas Vincent Finamore Robert Michaels William Walker Henry Foner Allan S Mitchell Bruce H Wittmer Pacr t ~ttrrs S10 000 or mort• \iar1an f. Hahn Joyct &c Isaac Oruk Your gift will help offset the extra expenses involved in preparing new and unfamiliar scores, and make it possible for us to offer you more exciting evenings of 20th-century music at Cooper Union next season. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! The Brooklyn Phi.lharmoni.a Mrs------~------ 1980 Street ------1 BALLOT City Z1p ______, Vote Philharmonia in 1980! Support your symphony by marking one of the boxes below and returning this ballot to us along with your check: 0 Donor ($1,000) PRIVILEGES: 1 l mvitatlon to exclus1ve pnvate mus1cale with Lukas Foss and Friends, hosted by Pres1dent and members of Philharmoma Board 2 I free parkmg and or tax1 reservations thru HOTLINE Plus all of the privileges listed below 0 Benefactor {$500) 3 I dinner for two at exciting new "Charlie's" Restaurant in Park Slope 4 I opt1on on "best seats in the house" for the Phllharmoma's January 12 "Beethoven Nmth" concert in Carnegie Hall (option expires December 1) Plus all of the privileges listed below 0 Sustaining Sponsor ($300) 5 I 4 season tickets (-if you are already a subscriber, deduct the cost of your subscriptions [up to 4] from the $300 g1ft amount: skip # 8 below) 6 I HOTLINE phone for preferred house seats 7 I use of BAM Patron Lounge for refreshments (scheduled to open January, 1981) Plus all of the privileges listed below 0 Sponsor ($175) 8 12 season tickets (-if you are already a subscriber, deduct the cost of your subscriptions [up to 2] from the $175 gift amount) 9 I recognition in all Brooklyn Philharmonia programs 1 0 I invitations to all post-concert parties to meet conductor and soloists Plus all of the privileges listed below 0 Investor ($25) 11 I advance notice of Brooklyn Philharmonia season plans and special events 12 I a Brooklyn Philharmonia 25th Anniversary commemorative poster 13I invitation to a post-concert party to meet conductor, soloist, and orchestra members ~~ - 30 Lafayette Averue Brooklyn NY 11217 "'"''l" ... 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