Who's Afraid of Modern Opera?
I approach contemporary operas with trepidation. Even after reading a rave review of an opera that sounds really interesting, I find myself reluctant to give it a try. So imagine my surprise when I went to see "Nixon in China" at the San Francisco Opera and found that I actually loved the music and found the drama thrilling and entertaining! Now "Moby-Dick" by Jake Heggie is premiering in San Francisco, and the reviews are superlative. Later in the season, there'll be two more brand new operas, "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" by Mark Adamo, and "The Secret Garden", by Nolan Gasser.
Except for "Nixon in China", these operas have yet to be recorded, but it is anticipated that San Francisco Opera's presentation of "Moby-Dick" will be seen nationwide on PBS in 2013.
In the meantime, why not dip your toes into modern opera risk-free, by checking out these dvds and cds from the library?
For more operas based on recent novels, or current events, see these lists:
http://sccl.bibliocommons.com/list/show/126764221_coffeecritic/134672171_books_become_operas
