ISBN 600313485572. English.
Libretto:
Written by David Mason.
Roles:
GERTRUDE STEIN Mezzo-Soprano
PABLO PICASSO High Baritone
GIRL (teen, a victim of the Holocaust) Soprano
Instrumentation:
Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano
Premier:
May 11, 2015, Music of Remembrance (Seattle)
Notable Performances:
Music of Remembrance
Synopsis:
After Life imagines a post-mortem reunion of Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. Stein believes her beloved Alice B. Toklas has conjured her back to life, while Picasso wonders which of his many lovers has called him up from the abyss. When both realize, to their disappointment, that their great loves are not present, the two towering figures discuss their lives, their complex relationship, and their activities during the Second World War. Their outsized egos clash, resentment between them boils over and, as they confront each other, a third voice rises from the darkness. A young girl, a victim of the Holocaust, appears, and it is her questioning that has brought Stein and Picasso back from the dead. Why did she die while they lived on? Can the two artists, whose work endures, ever know death as she does? Who will remember her, when she barely remembers herself? Duration: ca. 45 minutes
Reviews:
Cipullo's musical language, rooted in tonality with generous helpings of dissonance, is direct, succinct and original. His thorough understanding of the human voice allows him to create fully dimensional characters that are sympathetic and imminently believable... [a] finely wrought exploration of the role of art in times of grave crisis.
-Washington Post, April 4, 2016
...a compelling hour of musical theater.
-Seattle Gay News, May 15, 2015
...inventive, pitch-perfect, thought-provoking and refreshing.
-Oregon ArtsWatch |
