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ELEGY FOR A PRINCE, Opera in Two Acts (2005)
Music Sergio Cervetti
Libretto Elizabeth Esris
Music Copyright © Sergio Cervetti
Libretto, Lyrics, Program Notes Copyright © Elizabeth Esris
The Prince learns the value of life too late and a young vagabond, Swallow, dreams of returning home. Their lives intersect in this opera rooted in a story by Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince. Premiered by New York City Opera/VOX 2007 in a concert performance of three scenes performed on May 12, 2007 at New York University's Skirball Center, New York City.
SYNOPSIS
Imagination, humor, cynicism, sorrow and love intertwine in Elegy For A Prince, a bittersweet musical journey that resonates with life. It places Oscar Wilde's story, The Happy Prince, within an original framework that begins with the Father reading the fairy tale to his Son. As in the original story, the Prince seeks to alleviate the suffering that he ignored while he was alive in Sans Souci. Swallow is a young vagabond of exotic origins who stumbles into town and becomes the Prince's agent to the Poor. Together they fulfill the Prince's mission. In the process, Swallow develops compassion for humanity. He learns from the Prince that love is the divine secret, as expressed in the second act in a farewell duet that borrows from Wilde's discourse on love in De Profundis. The opera ends with one of the characters from the original tale, the Young Writer, emerging as a champion of compassion and beauty in a cynical world who comes to realize that "If the world is built of sorrow, it was built with hands of love."
PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
Prince (dramatic tenor/baritone martin)
Despairs that he failed for so long to see the suffering of humanity. To the audience a human figure of a Prince; to the Townspeople, a richly gilded statue.
Swallow (lyric soprano)
Confident and innocent; to the audience an imaginative young vagabond in exotic garb who reluctantly becomes an extension of the Prince in helping to ease suffering in the Town. In the eyes of the Townspeople in the fairy tale, a Swallow who flies about the Town.
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YUM!, Opera in One Act in Four Scenes (2008)
Music Sergio Cervetti
Libretto Elizabeth Esris
Music Copyright © Sergio Cervetti
Libretto, Lyrics, Program Notes Copyright © Elizabeth Esris
YUM! celebrates friendship, food, wine, and the long-buried secrets that touch lives. It reflects with both humor and pathos the reality of life-long friendship and the way in which adults on the cusp of aging look back on moments forever lost. Sam and Isabelle are old friends and competitive cooks. Egos are tested when both plan to make a cake for the 40th birthday of Kenneth, who is to each, "my oldest, dearest friend." They compromise and agree to collaborate on the cake. As they cook, verbally spar and reminisce—to a piquant tango, dissonant harmonies or quote from one of Debussy's songs—both Isabelle and Sam reveal having secretly loved Kenneth as more than just a friend.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Sam (baritone)
Accomplished chef, bon vivant, insightful master of life.
Isabelle (lyric/coloratura soprano)
Close friend, culinary disciple, and rival of Sam.
Kenneth (tenor) supporting role
Life-long friend of Sam and Isabelle, admired and loved by both for his ability to charm and engender loyalty in friends.
INSTRUMENTATION
Flute and alto flute, clarinet in B-flat, horn in F, bassoon, alto sax in E-flat, piano, violin, viola, cello, vibraphone/marimba 1 player.
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