"A wrenching panoramic expression
of the complex interaction of motives and actions, all against
a background of the biblical imperatives that both enliven the
Middle East and tear it apart."
—Los Angeles Times
BAM and Brooklyn Philharmonic present
The Death of Klinghoffer
Staged concert version
Music by John Adams
Libretto by Alice Goodman
Brooklyn Philharmonic
Conducted by Robert Spano
Directed by Bob McGrath
Produced in association with Ridge Theater
VENUE
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
DATE/ TIME
Dec 3, 5 & 6 at 7:30pm
TICKETS
$20, 40, 55
DESCRIPTION
"It was just after 1:15." This outwardly mundane refrain,
sung with great poignancy by the ship's Captain in John Adams'
moving and controversial The Death of Klinghoffer,
chronicles the moment in 1985 that Palestinian hijackers seized
the cruise ship Achille Lauro, terrorizing its passengers and
crew for two days and murdering the wheelchair-bound American
Jew, Leon Klinghoffer.
In this staged concert version of the 1991 opera, which premiered
at BAM just as the first Gulf War was ending, the tragic events
come to vivid life through a prismatic mix of historical narrative,
recollections, and commentary. Performed by Robert Spano and
the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and directed with a delicate balance
of boldness and restraint by Bob McGrath of the New York-based
Ridge Theater, Klinghoffer opens with a stunning prelude during
which two choruses, one representing exiled Palestinians, the
other, exiled Jews, establish the music's daring complexities.
Like Adams' first opera, the politically astute and melodically
luminous Nixon in China (1987/1999 Next Wave), Klinghoffer
is both musically lush and rife with risky observations and
symbolism. And given this singularly fraught time in our own
history—as illustrated by the capture of the architect
of the Achille Lauro hijacking plot this April—it continues
to stand out as a prescient, even audacious, work.
Soloists:
Stephen Powell, James Maddalena, Nancy Maultsby, Eric Owens,
Phyllis Pancella, Nmon Ford, Todd Wilander, Kirsten Blase, Christina
Wilcox
The New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, director
Visual design by Laurie Olinder
Film by Bill Morrison
Costume design by Kaye Voyce
Lighting design by Matt Frey