DE 3484 0 13491 34522 1 Jake Heggie ◆ Te Radio Hour THE RADIO HOUR (2014) * [38:43] Gene Sheer, librettist 1. Part One: A Really Bad Day [15:38] 2. Part Two: Trough the Door [19:14] 3. Part Tree: A New Day [3:48] John Alexander Singers • Members of Pacifc Symphony • David Clemensen Soloists: Ricardo V. McKillips, Jr. • Denean Dyson 4. Patterns (1999) * [14:25] Susan Graham • Women of the John Alexander Singers • David Clemensen 5. I Shall Not Live in Vain (1995, rev. 1998) * [4:20] Susan Graham • Women of the John Alexander Singers • David Clemensen • Handbell Choir 6. He Will Gather Us Around (solo version, 2000) † [0:50] Susan Graham 7. He Will Gather Us Around (choral version, 2003) * [6:19] John Alexander Singers John Alexander, conductor * World Premiere Recording † from Dead Man Walking Total Time:2 65:05 THE RADIO HOUR as well as Out of Darkness, a Holocaust remembrance opera in three parts (“An- We’ve all experienced “one of those days.” other Sunrise” – “Farewell, Auschwitz” When everything in the world seems to – “For a Look or a Touch”). One of our be set against you, ready to mock and guidelines for taking on a new project is make life more difcult. that it has to terrify us a little bit. We ac- tively seek out challenging projects, but, If only a magic door would open and truthfully, when John Alexander asked transport you to a diferent place. Afer us to create a choral opera, our frst re- all, Alice fell into Wonderland, Dorothy sponse was: barreled to Oz, and Wendy few with Peter Pan to Neverland. But what about A what? Nora? A lonely, hard-working, mid- dle-aged woman no longer in the play- John had a feeling that there was new ter- ground of childhood fantasy. Is there still ritory to be explored in the choral reper- a magic door for her? toire, and that it had to do with the mix- ing of genres. But, operas require action, Welcome to Te Radio Hour, where characters, conficts, journeys, transfor- sound tracks and sound waves are going mation, movement. Choirs stand still on inside, around and through us all the and make beautiful sound. Right? Still, time: it’s up to us to decide what to tune loving a challenge, Gene and I said: “Yes! into and what to turn of. But frst, along Of course. A choral opera!” with Nora, we have to discover that the connection begins within. What seemed like a challenge turned out to be a mind-bending, extraordinarily By now, Gene Scheer and I have created difcult climb. What does a choral op- two full-length operas (Moby-Dick, Tree era look and sound like? We thought of Decembers), a one-act opera (To Hell and existing stories, but soon realized that Back), numerous song cycles (Camille we’d need an original story. Te biggest Claudel, Rise and Fall, Pieces of 9/11, etc), question was what all those choristers 3 were going to DO on stage? We needed Tis concept also allowed us to explore a a goal, a motivation that would bring it wonderful variety of textures, colors and all together. sounds: trafc noise, swing tunes, radio ads, a quasi-rap song, big band, a touch of Choirs are about community, participa- 12-tone music, and fnally a full, celebra- tion; a collective of human voices work- tory fowering of grand choral singing. ing together to express emotions. We It was an immensely challenging world decided we wanted to fnd a way to cele- to enter, and all of us experienced many brate the transformative power of singing “Nora days” along the way. But always, in our lives. But we needed a unifying the magic of the choir, of connection, of focus for our journey, and we needed an community through singing, took us to actor. the hopeful place on the other side of a door marked “possibility.” Tat’s when Gene found our central char- acter, Nora, to be played by a silent actress. Te choir would be her inner voice as well Te Radio Hour as the sounds she “channels.” With the choir Opera in One Act for Chamber Choir, split in two at the beginning, we could hear Silent Actress, and Instruments Nora’s inner voice as well as the sounds she Libretto by Gene Scheer (b. 1958) chooses to hear. Recalling Ravel’s magi- cal L’enfant et les sortilèges , the choir could Te choir is split into two groups: become objects in Nora’s apartment, too. And the transformative journey would be NORA – the internal voice for Nora, who actually to enter the sound waves, to open is played by a silent actress. Te group is a portal into the radio, to make the choice also the voice of her immediate world, in- to connect and become joyful, youthful and cluding furnishings in her apartment. energized again. RADIO CHOIR – ever present, though occupying a special, magical place apart from Nora’s real world. 4 PART ONE: A Really Bad Day Hey! Hey Buddy! Watch it! What?!? Te RADIO CHOIR intones mysterious- Up yours! ly in the background. An energetic change of rhythm and sound comes with NORA’s Suddenly chaos. Random whistling, yell- sudden entrance. She is perhaps in her late ing, and screaming as Nora fnally gets to 40s or 50s and looks completely “thrown to- her apartment and slams shut the door. gether.” Te actress is followed by the NORA Tere are many locks. CHOIR, which snakes in behind her, crit- icizing and commenting. She is frantic, “Click” “Click” “Click” “Click” “Bolt” distressed, unhappy and making her way “Slide” “Chain” home afer a truly horrible day at the ofce. A sad quiet hovers. Te NORA sopranos NORA (to herself) become her MIRROR. Te altos are a Nora, I swear. CHAIR. Te tenors a LAMP. Te baritones Bad day. Bad news. Bad dress. a CLOCK. Te RADIO CHOIR continues I swear. to sing in its magical, separate space. Bad hair. Bad shoes. Big mess. You’re a mess, Nora. You’re a mess. CLOCK I swear. Tick Tock Tick Tock … (She looks at her cell phone.) No “friends.” No “likes.” No texts. LAMP No messages. No sex. You forgot to get a light bulb. We need a No one calls and no one cares. light bulb, Nora. I swear… Especially not me! Put down the phone, Nora. MIRROR Put down your stupid, stupid, stupid Nora, I swear you look like hell on legs. phone. Go home, Nora. Go home! CHAIR (Shouting) No, I don’t. 5 MIRROR CHAIR Yes, you do. More years. CHAIR LAMP Do not. No laughs. MIRROR CLOCK Do, too. Just tears. CHAIR CHAIR I swear. I swear. LAMP MIRROR If we had a light bulb, you’d see you do. Pity party! Pity party for pathetic Nora, again! MIRROR So there. ALL Pity party! Pity party! CHAIR (Crying like babies) Waa waa waa waa Tanks a lot. WAA! Stop it! Just stop. Now. CLOCK (Alarm is ringing obnoxiously.) Beep (A change of tempo and mood. NORA de- beep beep termines to distract herself and get out of her awful funk.) (NORA stops the clock and looks closely in the mirror.) MIRROR & CHAIR Read a magazine, perhaps? MIRROR More lines. 6 (Te RADIO CHOIR makes sounds of (Te tone has gotten very sad. NORA goes fipping pages as she thumbs through.) to a large, old console radio and turns it on. It warms up and the RADIO CHOIR comes ALL into full view singing a jolly swing tune.) (Intrigued) Hmm… (Surprised) Ohhh!! RADIO CHOIR (Pleased) Aaahh!! Let others waste the night (Disappointed) No… Let them curse their fate For us, it’s time to taste delight tonight! LAMP And just in case, Some chocolate ice cream, perhaps? I’ve got wicked, wonderful plans! ALL Every little spark that shines in the dark Mmmmmmmm… Seems to start up a fre gone cold. Although though though in the day MIRROR I hide hide hide it away No! At night it’s you you you that I hold. ALL (A fun musical break proves irresistible. No no no no no no no… Nora. NORA claps and stomps along and even laughs a little.) (NORA looks at a bouquet of dead fowers in a vase and throws them away. Ten, she So when I hear a car – BEEP BEEP takes a letter out of her purse and looks at BEEP! – out on the street it long and hard.) When I hear a little knock – KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK – knock at my door MIRROR & CHAIR It better be special delivery What kind of jerk returns a handwritten It’s you you you: the one I adore! letter unopened? Open the door! (KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK) 7 Open the door! (KNOCK KNOCK You’ve got a date! KNOCK) You’ve got a date! You’ve got a … NORA CHOIR Nora! Nora! Open the door! NORA CHOIR Agh! Stupid song! (Caught up in the enthusiastic lyrics, she runs and unlocks the door.) (NORA slams and locks the door and chang- es the station through several commercials.) LAMP Hurry! RADIO CHOIR …problem with your plumbing? We’ll MIRROR clean your pipes today! Hurry! …KYRU-U-U-U!! …heartbreak of psoriasis… NORA CHOIR …feas and ticks… Click Click Click Bolt Slide Chain …You’re losing your country! Chain! Te stupid chain! (At last she hits a rap song, listens and even RADIO CHOIR improvises some “beat box” rhythms.) Let others waste the night Let them curse their fate RADIO CHOIR For us, it’s time to taste delight tonight! Yo-Hey-Yo-Hey-Yoooooo And just in case, Sittin’ in a chair there starin’ right I’ve got wicked, wonderful plans! through me.