Ricky Ian Gordon: 27
Elizabeth Futral, Stephanie Blythe, Theo Lebow, Tobias Greenhalgh, Daniel Brevik, St. Louis Symphony, Michael Christie
"27" An Opera in Five Acts, owes its origins to the friendship between soprano Stephanie Blythe and the artistic director of the Opera Theater of Saint Louis, James Robinson. They decided to commission one of Blythe's favorite composers, Ricky Ian Gordon, to create a new work for her. Gordon presented his idea of a fantasy on Gertrude Stein as a potential subject and "27" was born. 27 refers to the address of Stein's salon in Paris, 27 rue de Fleurus. Virgil Thomas said of that address that, "Every story that ever came into the house eventually got told in Alice's way, and [that became] its definitive version." Ricky Ian Gordon, long interested and perhaps obsessed with Gertrude Stein, had always wanted to write an opera about Stein and Alice Toklas. He found the perfect librettist in Royce Vavrek, a Brooklyn-based writer of opera, musical theater, and concert works. This recording was made at the world premiere performances of the work in Saint Louis.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| "27" An Opera in Five Acts | Ricky Ian Gordon /Royce Vavrek, libretto | Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Stephanie Blythe; Elizabeth Futral; Theo Lebow; Tobias Greenhalgh; Daniel Brevik; Michael Christie, conductor |
Reviews
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“Following the immense grandeur of Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, the more spare 27 seems almost chamber opera-esque in scope. Yet there is nothing dimin-utive about the attention to detail and rich characterization found here.”
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