No description available.

The thesis for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition consists of an original musical work, accompanied by an analytical document. “The Piano Teacher” is a chamber opera in one act, based on a libretto by the composer, adapted from the fantastic tale “With the Gypsy Girls” by Mircea Eliade. With a duration of approximately fifty minutes, the work calls for four singers (tenor, soprano, bass-baritone, mezzo-soprano) and fifteen instrumental parts (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, harp, two violins, viola, cello, contrabass). The aim was not only to set to music a symbolic story, but also to adopt a personal approach to the operatic genre. This approach proposes a less explicit plot, as well as minimal stage design. In adapting the story, the central character of the teacher receives an extensive music-dramaturgical role, while the other characters are assigned relatively equal supporting roles. The opera comprises a prelude and twelve short scenes, most of which unfold uninterruptedly. A thorough discussion of the nature, influences, and vocabulary of the opera accompanies the musical score. The analytical document concentrates on particular musical ideas, as well as on several cyclical elements, providing detailed exemplification to illustrate their use. Both the score and the analysis suggest possible approaches to the stage production of the opera. / Arts, Faculty of / Music, School of / Graduate

Depuis la réforme culturelle en Chine, l’Opéra de Shanghai est un succès pour le public et dans le champ commercial. A partir de 2003, un élargissement de la reforme culturelle chinoise indique que l’institution public chinoise doit concilier les lois commerciales, et la mission de service public. Dans ma thèse, je m’attache à présenter une étude de terrain sur le plan sociologique, économique, stratégique, à effectuer une analyse complète du Centre d’Art de l’Opéra de Shanghai et de la politique culturelle chinoise, pour présenter des propositions constructives au CAOS. L’Opéra National de Paris est comme une grande référence internationale comparable au CAOS en Chine. / Since the cultural reform in China, the Shanghai Opera House is a great success in the public and the commercial field. From 2003, an expansion of the Chinese cultural reform indicates that the Chinese public institution must balance the trade laws and public service mission. In my dissertation, I submit myself to a field study on the sociological, economic, and strategic, to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Art Centre of the Shanghai Opera and Chinese political culture, to present constructive proposals for CAOS. Opera National de Paris is like a big international benchmark compared to CAOS.

When the dust settles, John Adams’s Nixon in China and Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach may stand as the most important operas of the latter twentieth century. The critical essay portion of this thesis examines the trajectory of minimalist opera, from its beginnings with Glass’s Einstein on the Beach through the more romantic operas of John Adams, Steve Reich’s multimedia opera The Cave, David Lang’s musical-influenced The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, and finally the post-minimalist operas currently being staged by young composer Nico Muhly. It examines the differences between the more abstract trajectory established by the early Glass operas and the plot driven trajectory established by operas more commonly associated with John Adams, most significantly Nixon in China. Additionally, the aforementioned pieces are compared and contrasted with the author’s newly composed chamber opera Violetting through August’s End (or the sunset in water, the carillon-chime in square).

In this master thesis I look at the revivals of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice in London (1770 and 1785), Florence (1771), and Naples (1774). After the premiere of Orfeo ed Euridice in Vienna in 1762, Gluck himself reworked the opera for new productions in Parma (1769) and Paris (1774). The versions studied in my thesis, however, were adapted and included music by other composers, such as Johann Christian Bach and Pietro Alessandro Guglielmi. There were a number of added scenes, new characters, and inserted arias, sometimes in a very contrasting style to what Gluck and Calzabigi tried to achieve in their reform of opera seria. For this reason, the reworkings have often been called pasticcio versions in modern literature.  Through a comparative study of the music manuscripts and the printed libretti, I show that these four productions of the opera exhibit four unique approaches to performing the opera at public opera houses in the late eighteenth century. Orfeo was consistently lengthened in order to make the performance long enough for an evening at the opera, but how it was changed varied considerably according to the context of the performance. This suggests a complexity and nuance of the practice of adaptations and substitutions in late eighteenth-century opera in general, and the reception of Orfeo in particular, that have not previously been fully acknowledged.

The opera is scored for chamber orchestra consisting of one oboe, two Bb clarinets, two horns in F, one trumpet in C, one tenor trombone, two percussionists (playing snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, wood block, triangle, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, agogo bells, cow bell, brake drum, metal whistle, whip, large gong, Glockenspiel, chimes, timpani in F (low) and C), eight or more violins in two parts, six or more violas in two parts, and eight or more cellos in two parts. The characters are Alejandro Jiminez, a dramatic tenor; the Manager of Burger Palace, a baritone; the Suits 1/Fast Food Workers, a choir (SATB) and the Suits 2/Customers, a second choir (SATB), each ideally consisting of eight vocalists for a total of sixteen; the Daydream Figures, which are mimed parts; the Man with Gun, which is a spoken part. The opera, in one act consisting of six scenes and an interlude, is based on a libretto by the composer. There is only one scene change: from an essentially empty stage to a fast food restaurant in Scene 4. The length of the work is approximately sixty to sixty-five minutes.

opera byggnad, innergård,betong , schakt, genomsiktlig, mesh, grid

Ett operahus på Stadsgårdskajen, väster om Fåfängan. Placeringen är vald för att försöka ta tillvara på många av platsens kvalitéer och koppla byggnaden både till staden och till vattnet. Detta görs genom scenernas vinkelräta relation till varandra där den lilla scenen lägger sig i fonden av Folkungagatan medan den stora vänder sig mot vattnet. Symbolen skapas med hjälp av de utkragande salongerna som. Klädda i ett stålnät av zink uppfattas de som slutna från utsidan medan man från insidan ser igenom och ges utblickar mot Stockholm och och dess natur. Personaldelen är södervänd och skyddar de publika ytorna från den hårt trafikera vägen utanför. Dessa är också klädda i samma fasadmaterial fast av ett tätare slag, dels för att det ska markera att delarna är privata och dels för att fungera som solavskärmning. All publik rörelse är längs med entréfasaderna i vertikalled.  Den lilla salongen och dess publika ytor ligger i fonden av Folkungagatan och aviserar det nya huset mot staden. Detta etablerar byggnaden i ett mer urbant kontext och fungerar som ett slags klimax i slutet av Folkungagatan. Publiken rör sig under den upphängda salongen upp till de inkapslade gradängerna och vidare till café och restaurang ovanpå salongen. Den stora scenens publika ytor är riktade mot vattnet så att man aldrig tappar relationen till det vidsträckta landskapet och stockholms stadssiluett bortom det.

No description available.

This thesis intends to explore the strategies, consequences and goals of acting in one of the most celebrated western artforms: opera. Told primarily through a first person narrative, and project based, the research of this piece culminated in three semesters teaching Oprea Workshop through Boyer School of Music at Temple University. Research methods included: Directing work before graduate school; Interviews and surveys with collaborators;Personal observation; and Scholastic work surrounding historic acting teachers. The main finding: My goals as a director and educator mimic many of the acting teachers before me: to connect gestures to the internal life of the performer and to strive towards a more perfect amalgamation of music text and stagecraft in presenting both new work and inherited repertoire for opera. I found disparities not in the goals, but in the “how”. My findings through my work are that the “how” is in bravery, kindness, and empowerment of the singer. Through scaffolded and varied techniques, each performer can cultivate their own collaborative strategies when developing characters and integrating movement into their vocal performances and storytelling. An empowered singer is an effective singer that can live and advocate for better art holistically in this world. / Theater