1984 (opera)
Encyclopedia
1984 is an opera
composed by the American conductor
Lorin Maazel
, with a libretto
by J.D. McClatchy
and Thomas Meehan
. The opera is based on George Orwell
's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
. It premiered on 3 May 2005 at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
in a production directed by Robert Lepage
.
, the director of the Bavarian State Opera
, and Maazel later admitted surprise at the offer. "I'd never thought of writing an opera, and it took years to convince me," he stated in an interview prior to the premiere.
After Everding died, it appeared the work might not proceed, but Maazel got it picked up by Covent Garden and the Tokyo Opera. This was to be a joint endeavour, but Tokyo ultimately backed out, leaving it in limbo again. Maazel then stepped in and paid about £
400,000 to finance the project through a company he formed for the purpose, Big Brother Productions. By picking up nearly half the costs, he allowed the Royal Opera House to spend what it would for a typical revival from the standard repertoire, rather than a more expensive new production. This saved the opera from oblivion, but also led to charges that the Royal Opera House was spending taxpayer money to support a vanity project.
, Winston
, as a baritone
(sung by Simon Keenlyside
at the premiere), while the lead tenor
takes the role of the villain
, O'Brien
(sung by Richard Margison
at the premiere). The part of Julia
was sung by soprano
Nancy Gustafson
in the original production. Other individual parts in the opera include Syme, Parsons, and Charrington, a gym instructress/drunken woman, a prole
woman, and a café singer. Maazel incorporates an important role for the chorus
, which sings a "hate chorus" for the rallies Orwell called Two Minutes Hate
, as well as a rousing "National Anthem of Oceania." The telescreen voice was spoken by Jeremy Irons
. The children's chorus was provided by the New London Children's Choir
.
berated the effort, declaring that it was "both shocking and outrageous that the Royal Opera, a company of supposed international standards and standing, should be putting on a new opera of such wretchedness and lack of musical worth." Andrew Clark of the Financial Times
stated that the "only reason we find this slick perversion of Orwell on the Covent Garden stage is because super-rich Maazel bought his way there by stumping up the production costs," while Rupert Christiansen
in the Daily Telegraph dismissed it as "operatic fast food."
More sympathetic reviews appeared outside of the British media. Newsweek
, which noted that while the "score may occasionally sound more like an overblown film soundtrack than the meaty orchestration of an opera," stated the production "effectively conjures up the dispiriting emptiness of Orwell's awful vision. The unusual and inspired choice of a baritone, Simon Keenlyside, for the lead role of Winston, lends the work a darker edge." The Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia praised Maazel by stating "the maestro knows a lot of music and he shows it, just as he shows his prowess in orchestral and vocal work."
The opera's Royal Opera House engagement was sold out, as was a later engagement at La Scala
in Milan, Italy. The production was recorded for DVD release. Since February 2009, the DVD is also available for sale in USA.
Costume Designer: Yasmina Giguère
Lighting: Michel Beaulieu
Choreography: Sylvain Émard
Assistant Director: Neilson Vignola
Projection Designer: Jacques Collin
Image Designer: Lionel Arnould
Properties Designer: Patricia Ruel
Sound Effects: Jean-Sebastien Cote
Production Manager: Bernard Gilbert
Technical Director: Michel Gosselin
Technical Consultant: Tobie Horswill
Producer for Ex Machina: Michel Bernatchez
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composed by the American conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
, with a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by J.D. McClatchy
J.D. McClatchy
J. D. "Sandy" McClatchy is an American poet and literary critic. He is editor of the Yale Review and president of The American Academy of Arts and Letters.-Life:...
and Thomas Meehan
Thomas Meehan (writer)
Thomas Meehan is an American writer, best known for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray.-Life and career:Meehan grew up in Suffern, New York, and graduated from Hamilton College...
. The opera is based on George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
. It premiered on 3 May 2005 at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
in a production directed by Robert Lepage
Robert Lepage
Robert Lepage, is a playwright, actor, film director, and stage director from Québec City, Québec, and is one of Canada's most honoured theatre artists.- Life and work :...
.
History
1984 was the first opera composed by Maazel, following a conducting career that spanned more than 50 years; he was 75 years old when his work had its premiere. The opera was originally commissioned by August EverdingAugust Everding
August Everding was a German opera director and administrator. He studied at the Universities of Bonn and Munich, where launching his career in the 1950s...
, the director of the Bavarian State Opera
Bavarian State Opera
The Bavarian State Opera is an opera company based in Munich, Germany.Its orchestra is the Bavarian State Orchestra.- History:The opera company which was founded under Princess Henriette Adelaide of Savoy has been in existence since 1653...
, and Maazel later admitted surprise at the offer. "I'd never thought of writing an opera, and it took years to convince me," he stated in an interview prior to the premiere.
After Everding died, it appeared the work might not proceed, but Maazel got it picked up by Covent Garden and the Tokyo Opera. This was to be a joint endeavour, but Tokyo ultimately backed out, leaving it in limbo again. Maazel then stepped in and paid about £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
400,000 to finance the project through a company he formed for the purpose, Big Brother Productions. By picking up nearly half the costs, he allowed the Royal Opera House to spend what it would for a typical revival from the standard repertoire, rather than a more expensive new production. This saved the opera from oblivion, but also led to charges that the Royal Opera House was spending taxpayer money to support a vanity project.
Cast
In contrast with the conventions of most operas, 1984 casts the heroHero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
, Winston
Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
, as a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
(sung by Simon Keenlyside
Simon Keenlyside
Simon Keenlyside CBE is a British baritone who has had an active international career performing in operas and concerts since the mid 1980s.-Early life and education:...
at the premiere), while the lead tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
takes the role of the villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
, O'Brien
O'Brien (1984)
O'Brien is a fictional character and the main antagonist in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The protagonist Winston Smith, living in a dystopian society governed by the Party, feels strangely attracted to Inner Party member O'Brien. Orwell never reveals O'Brien's first name.Winston...
(sung by Richard Margison
Richard Margison
Richard Charles Margison, OC is a Canadian operatic tenor. Margison was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 and lives in Toronto, Canada.- External links :** at The Canadian Encyclopedia...
at the premiere). The part of Julia
Julia (1984)
Julia is a fictional character in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Her last name is never given in the novel but she is called Dixon in the 1954 BBC TV production....
was sung by soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Nancy Gustafson
Nancy Gustafson
Nancy Gustafson is an American opera singer.She received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1978 and her M.Mus. from Northwestern University...
in the original production. Other individual parts in the opera include Syme, Parsons, and Charrington, a gym instructress/drunken woman, a prole
Proles
Proles is a term used in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to refer to the working class of Oceania ....
woman, and a café singer. Maazel incorporates an important role for the chorus
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
, which sings a "hate chorus" for the rallies Orwell called Two Minutes Hate
Two Minutes Hate
In George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the Two Minutes Hate is a daily period in which Party members of the society of Oceania must watch a film depicting the Party's enemies and express their hatred for them.-Details in Nineteen Eighty-Four:The film and its accompanying auditory and...
, as well as a rousing "National Anthem of Oceania." The telescreen voice was spoken by Jeremy Irons
Jeremy Irons
Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969, and has since appeared in many London theatre productions including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the...
. The children's chorus was provided by the New London Children's Choir
New London Children's Choir
The New London Children's Choir is a children's choir which rehearses at Highgate Primary School in North London, giving singing opportunities to members aged seven to eighteen. Members live in London and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director Ronald Corp...
.
Reviews
The British press reviews for the London premiere were negative. Andrew Clements' review in The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
berated the effort, declaring that it was "both shocking and outrageous that the Royal Opera, a company of supposed international standards and standing, should be putting on a new opera of such wretchedness and lack of musical worth." Andrew Clark of the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
stated that the "only reason we find this slick perversion of Orwell on the Covent Garden stage is because super-rich Maazel bought his way there by stumping up the production costs," while Rupert Christiansen
Rupert Christiansen
Rupert Christiansen is an English writer, journalist and critic, grandson of Arthur Christiansen and son of Kay and Michael Christiansen . Born in London, he was educated at Millfield and King's College, Cambridge, where he took a double first in English...
in the Daily Telegraph dismissed it as "operatic fast food."
More sympathetic reviews appeared outside of the British media. Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, which noted that while the "score may occasionally sound more like an overblown film soundtrack than the meaty orchestration of an opera," stated the production "effectively conjures up the dispiriting emptiness of Orwell's awful vision. The unusual and inspired choice of a baritone, Simon Keenlyside, for the lead role of Winston, lends the work a darker edge." The Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia praised Maazel by stating "the maestro knows a lot of music and he shows it, just as he shows his prowess in orchestral and vocal work."
The opera's Royal Opera House engagement was sold out, as was a later engagement at La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
in Milan, Italy. The production was recorded for DVD release. Since February 2009, the DVD is also available for sale in USA.
Production Team
Set Designer: Carl FillionCostume Designer: Yasmina Giguère
Lighting: Michel Beaulieu
Choreography: Sylvain Émard
Assistant Director: Neilson Vignola
Projection Designer: Jacques Collin
Image Designer: Lionel Arnould
Properties Designer: Patricia Ruel
Sound Effects: Jean-Sebastien Cote
Jean-Sebastien Cote
Jean-Sébastien Côté is a musician and sound designer based in Montreal, Canada. Originally a percussionist and accompanist for modern dance, he became interested in composing in the early 1990s and began collaborating with various choreographers in Quebec City.Since 1999, he has been working with...
Production Manager: Bernard Gilbert
Technical Director: Michel Gosselin
Technical Consultant: Tobie Horswill
Producer for Ex Machina: Michel Bernatchez