Have you ever gone through childbirth? Senior fellow Brian Griffeath-Loeb will do so tonight in Moore Theater. The labor is expected to last about 90 minutes with the help of over 50 collaborators. The astounding part of it all is that you're invited.
With its uncertain conception in a music professor's office and a three-year pregnancy, Griffeath-Loeb's youngest child, an original one-act opera to be premiered this evening, is no ordinary one. Call it undisciplined or call it crazy, there is no doubt that what Griffeath-Loeb has been up to for the past few years is extraordinary. He authored a majority of the libretto, composed a score for 6 singers, chorus and orchestra, and currently is in the final stages of producing the show.
The story concerns a young monk (Simon), who was orphaned and has lived his entire life confined within the walls of an abbey. Describing the opening scene, Griffeath-Loeb says, "He feels trapped. He fears all possible changes and is unhappy as is."
Simon's tale takes us through his struggle with his faith, his first encounter with a woman, Marguerite, and (surprise, surprise) love at first sight plus the obligatory wrenching circumstance of her illness. It is a serious opera, after all, and would not be complete without a tragic ending. An ideal set-up for powerful, deeply emotional music.
"There is quite an autobiographical nature to Simon, a similarity to me," Griffeath-Loeb admits, even chuckling to himself at the coincidence, since his co-author Meghan Fitzgerald '04 developed the plot. Brian was able to convince Ron Luchsinger, Opera North's director of productions, to stage the production of the work.
"It is psychological and emotional more than visual," Griffeath-Loeb says, a fact that has been no simple task for the director and cast to tackle. "This is not a spectacle piece," he continues, "it's introverted, and deals with interpersonal relationships".
Thanks to Dartmouth's deep pockets, the entire cast and the majority of the orchestral players are hired professionals, but nonetheless the opera has had more than its share of confusion, frustration and chaos. The most dramatic result is a last minute cut in scenes three and four. It wouldn't be opera without a bit of drama, though.
Entertainers and artists have been combining music and drama for nobody knows how long. The most recent development was in the film industry last century. Homer, Shakespeare, Verdi and John Williams have all dealt with the combination of text and music in different ways. They all faced the same challenges Griffeath-Loeb dealt with in composing his first opera.
When asked about opera composing, he responds, "A musical dramatist is someone who does more than simply superimpose music onto a dramatic work. There is a higher goal: to portray drama through music. I seek to augment music through drama, drama through music. Neither should take the back seat to the other."
So don't come for slap-stick comedy that includes a few musical numbers, or a cantata that leaves everything but the music to your imagination. Expect a combination of sights and sounds.
An interesting twist was added to the composition process when Griffeath-Loeb was forced to takeover writing the libretto halfway through the plot.
During the process, he discovered a certain similarity in his prose writing style and his musical composition, drawing the connection between his imagery-heavy descriptions and his colorful harmonic language. He cites the intimate exploration of the relationship of text and music as one of his primary concerns as a composer.
The opera does include extended instrumental passages, though no orchestral overture, but his primary search in each scene was for "a melody that gets at the heart of what is going on dramatically."
As an example, he points out the moment in Scene Five when Simon breaks out in fury to the abbot with the line: "They torment me now, father." He is referring to the moments of bliss spent in the company of Marguerite.
"The orchestra plays rather thorny and discordant music," the young composer notes, "and similarly the melody line is very tense and anguished. It is not lyrical, not beautiful. Rather than provide the audience with some gorgeous sweeping line that they will leave the theater humming, I have written a melody that will communicate a feeling that reflects Simon's own suffering. Drama is paramount!" He chuckles, having realized how caught up in the moment he has become. A proud father he will be when the curtain rises tonight.
"Sicut Erat," an original one-act opera by Brian Griffeath-Loeb, will be performed tonight at 8 p.m. in The Moore Theater at the Hopkins Center; admission is free.
