A Quiet Place
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News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein Fall/Winter 2013/2014 A Quiet Place by Garth Edwin Sunderland Quiet Place was Leonard Bernstein’s final work for the stage. The story of a fractured Afamily struggling to come to grips with its past, and to reconcile, the opera was conceived with librettist Stephen Wadsworth as a sequel to Bernstein’s jazzy 1952 one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti. At its premiere in Houston, in 1983, A Quiet Place was presented as a single 110-minute act in four scenes, using a very large orchestra including synthesizer and electric guitar. Bernstein was dissatisfied with this first version, and the opera was revised, becoming a full-length, three act opera. The dramatic structure of the work was significantly altered, and a substantial amount of the A Quiet Place material was cut to ‘make room’ for the incorporation of the entirety of Trouble in Tahiti, now embedded within the later opera as a flashback. This version was finalized for performances in Vienna in 1986, and Bernstein subsequently recorded it for Deutsche Grammophon. Bernstein nevertheless continued to consider further possibilities for the work, at one point even proposing that the opera be presented on Broadway. Although the Vienna version is definitive, The Leonard Bernstein Office has long felt that a smaller, shorter version of the opera, using a chamber orchestration, would allow for an alternate, more intimate experience of this very personal work. This new chamber version would not include Trouble in Tahiti, and would restore some of the very fine music that was cut from the Houston version, including full arias for Sam and François. (continued on page 2) 3 Artful Learning 6 Tribute to JFK 10 In the News Inside... 4 Leonard Bernstein Letters 10 Young People’s Concerts, 14 Some Performances Vol. 2 A Quiet Place, continued At its heart, A Quiet Place legacy was not yet understood is the story of a father and his and appreciated; Bernstein the children grappling with their composer was known principally history of bitterness and anger, as the creator of West Side Story, and ultimately attempting, and audiences were expecting a tentatively, to overcome it. In the work in the vein of Bernstein’s original Houston version, this popular musical theater works. theme was obscured by too much A Quiet Place is instead a deeply eonard Bernstein’s legacy focus on the secondary characters personal work, exploring difficult Lcontinues to make a powerful introduced in the opening funeral ideas and intricate relationships, impact on the world in typically scene. While there was some and the score reflects that. Today, multifarious ways. His opera, excellent material written for however, I think that audiences A Quiet Place, has a new chamber- can be trusted to understand sized incarnation. A lifetime of that Bernstein’s voice was as letters, both from and to Bernstein, At its heart, A Quiet Place rich and multifaceted as the have been collected in a fascinating is the story of a father man himself. He is one of the book skillfully compiled and edited greatest composers America has by Nigel Simeone. The long-awaited and his children grappling ever produced, and his ability to second volume of Bernstein’s synthesize a plurality of styles inimitable Young People’s Concerts with their history of is seen now as one of his with the New York Philharmonic greatest gifts. has just been released on DVD. bitterness and anger... For this new version, I have And these are only the top headlines. tried to go back to the original PF&R’s pages have a way of not them, the time spent on these impulse: to take the lean, modern growing shorter! characters diffused the action concept behind the Houston On a personal note: I remember and distracted from the central version, but incorporate the so very well the day fifty years conflict of the opera, the family’s improvements that Bernstein and ago when President Kennedy was struggle to reconcile. Bernstein Wadsworth made for the Vienna assassinated. I had never seen and Wadsworth understood that version, while restoring both the my parents in despair before that this was a problem. As recorded music and the characterization Friday in November; never before in Humphrey Burton’s definitive that was lost in the process of seen them sob. My siblings and I biography of Bernstein, revision. This required a delicate now understand that something “…Wadsworth felt the public approach to the material, a respect broke inside our parents and their did not want to know about Mrs. for the authors’ intentions while friends on that day. With that act of Doc’s lesbian feelings for Dinah.” ensuring that this chamber version violence, their youth was officially For the revised Vienna version would have a dramatic integrity over, and our own youth thereafter of the opera, scenes were cut of its own. acquired a shadow that has followed or adapted to eliminate these I have kept the focus always us all the way into our own secondary characters after the on the family, on the spine of adulthoods. That is why our father’s first Act. At the same time, the the opera, on these damaged words, spoken three days after entirety of the earlier opera people fighting against their President Kennedy’s assassination, Trouble In Tahiti was inserted own instincts, against their continue to resonate with ever into the middle of the opera as a collective past. I have maintained greater power: flashback. This added 45 minutes Vienna’s three — Act structure, to the work, and introduced a which clarified the relentless, intermissionless 2-hour onslaught “This will be our reply jazzy musical language that is only obliquely or ironically referenced of the Houston version. As in the music of A Quiet Place. in Vienna, the secondary Prelude, Fugue & Riff Prelude, to violence: to make It was felt that this music would characters do not return after music more intensely, provide the audience a ‘break’ the first Act — in fact, due to the from the more complicated music stripped — down, naturalistic more beautifully, more of A Quiet Place. Bernstein had approach of this version, even crafted a complex and challenging the choral writing from Acts devotedly, than musical language to match the II and III has been eliminated. s Fall/Winter 2013/2014 spiky American vernacular I made a substantial cut in ever before.” of Wadsworth’s libretto, fully Act I, eliminating three of the ‘Dialogues’ for the secondary –Leonard Bernstein exploring the repressed emotions and psychology of the characters. characters — it wasn’t necessary At the time, the breadth of to spend so much time establishing their identities and their J.B. ■ Bernstein’s compositional (continued on page 8) 2 Artful Learning National Snapshot: Professional Development, Leadership & Honors © A Meadow View Elementary community, realized through daily LL PH School, Castle Rock, CO action, states: “Hillcrest is O T O S more than a school. We are a COUR n the progressive Douglas joyful community of learners. T E County School District, led S I Together through the arts, we Y O F by visionary Superintendent P inspire, challenge and empower.” at R Dr. Elizabeth Celania-Fagen, We celebrate these talented ICK Meadow View Elementary BO educators on this defining L E School joins the cadre of Artful moment of their journey. K Learning Schools. Passionate arts advocate and principal Patti Salvador School, Napa, CA Magby long dreamed that a school using the arts to engage ourly transformation students across the curriculum Hcontinues at this Level III could be a reality. Supported by site. Under the leadership of ground-breaking ideation and Principal Pam Perkins, Magnet district administrative vision, this Lead Teacher Lori Welty and school is poised to be successful a dedicated team of educators, through a collaborative effort that support staff and parents, student re-imagines education at the core. engagement through the arts is Clockwise fom top: making a considerable difference Principal Paul Hillside Elementary School, at the school. After using the West Des Moines, IA Schullo and Artful Learning model for two the Hillcrest years, the school gained 28 points Community School elebrating 10 Years of Artful on the Academic Performance team pose with CLearning, this West Des Index (API) exceeding their Sally Award. Moines Community School is expectations in schoolwide and currently completing the second student group growth targets. the curriculum throughout their Salvador School teachers at the year of Expanded Services Arts Partner development entire school careers. Student data Level III Summer targeting continuous improvement has increased to include the reveals academic improvement Session. of best practices, artistic fluency Symphony Napa Valley and with the integration of site, district, and unit refinement. Dr. Robert Magical Moonshine Theatre. state and Artful Learning initiatives. Educators Davis continues to challenge Congratulations to Grade participate in a his team of educators to push 1 educator Rebecca Lacau Welcome, New Principals Reader’s Theatre their thinking of how best to for attaining National Board using poetry provide learners with what they Certification. She credits the e would like to welcome and literature must “know, understand and do” achievement, in part, to her Wthe new leaders taking the to enhance a through Artful Learning. Artful Learning Unit of Study helm at two Artful Learning new district submission, “Change.” Legacy Schools: initiative led by Hillcrest Community School, Master Trainer, Tommy Richardson Bloomington, MN West Newton Elementary Susan Stauter. Fairview Elementary School, School, Decatur Middle & his unique learning community, Bloomington, IN Meadow View Central High School (ICE educators use entering their third year as T Academy), Indianapolis, IN Kevin Crotchett the arts-based an Artful Learning School, was Jackson Middle School, skill & strategy of recently awarded the Sally Award his is the first K-12 Artful Portland, OR Tableau to convey for Education in St.