Scroll down for information on the earlier opera, Bang The Law
ee me & pollock thee
-E.E. Cummings and Jackson Pollock journey to the dark heart of inspiration in this multidisciplinary extravaganza. As poet and painter wrestle their muse, mutual obsession and mystical appropriation ensue. This modern opera with live musical accompaniment explores the cost of great art and dangerous genius.-
an opera
by Adam Falik and Jonathan Freilich
Director: Chris Kammenstein | Musical Director: Francis Scully
Venue: The Marigny Opera House(Trinity Church on St. Ferdinand in the Marigny)
Thursday, November 17th, 7pm
Friday, November 18th, 9pm
Saturday, November 19th, 11pm
Sunday, November 20th, 7pm
ee me & pollock thee accounts a relationship between poet E. E. Cummings and painter Jackson Pollock. The two artists journey to the dark heart of inspiration in this multidisciplinary extravaganza. As poet and painter wrestle their muse, mutual obsession and mystical appropriation ensue. This modern opera with live musical accompaniment explores the cost of great art and dangerous genius. Dramatic scenes are interwoven with original musical compositions and operatic performance of E. E. Cummings poems.
Goat in the Road Productions’ Chris Kamenstein will direct, and Francis Scully, conductor of the New Resonance Orchestra, will serve as musical director.
The production features: Chris Lane as Jackson Pollock, Andrew Vaught (Cripple Creek Productions) as E. E. Cummings, Kathleen Halm as Lee Krasner, and JeAnne Swinley as Rebecca Cummings.
ee cummingsNew Orleans playwright, Adam Falik approached me about writing the music
for his recent original libretto, ee me and pollock thee. The work is set to be performed in New Orleans in the middle of November. The production will involve conductor Francis Scully (New Resonance Orchestra) who conducted my previous opera, Bang The Law. It will also involve actor, Chris Lane who played the lead acting role in Bang the Law in November 2009.
It looks like it will be partially operatic and partially melodramatic.
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BANG THE LAW- A MODERN OPERA BUFFA
The following relates to an opera written by Freilich that was mounted in New Orleans in late 2009. the opera was conceived in an intermezzo format with the pieces intended to be stuck in between the acts of another piece. The interstitial idea was rejected by the producers and Freilich required a solution to the amount of time lost in the initial idea. The gestures and projection of classical, mannered art forms such as opera, ballet, theater are often lost to general modern audiences. The dissonance with popular forms of performance delivery is often vast and, general audiences might wonder where those gestures from the old forms came from and what they might be for. Freilich's idea was that gestural systems would have understood meaning if the work shared the audiences view of the oddness of the mannerisms but didn't water down their techniques at all. What follows is the 2009 description and information given about the piece...
"The opera is in intermezzo form- originally intended to go between the acts of another work. However, it seems that current economic restraints have directed things on a new course.
The original, satirical, pieces are 2-5 minutes long and detail the exploits of a couple of New Orleans lawyers as they travel through the class detritus of modern day New Orleans. It is scored for 4 singers (2 baritone, soprano, mezzo-soprano) piano, violin, and flute. To these central segments I have appended a theatrical segment to precede the opera segment. It’s characters are the same as the opera segment and would detail their more naturalistic behaviors while the operatic sections would be indicative of a more internal, emotional side of the same character’s personality. To the back end of each opera segment will be added a dance episode which will further develops the characters by showing how fast they imagine themselves to be moving through the world.
So...each segment is expanded to around 15 minutes. The theatre sections will be directed by Nick Slie (Mondo Bizarro) and the dance parts choreographed by Jeffrey Gunshol (Tsunami Dance.)
Composed, scored, Directed by Jonathan Freilich
Conducted by Francis Scully
Libretto by Jonathan Freilich
Co- directed by Chris Lane, Nick Slie, Holly Anne Ruggiero
Costumes by Oliver
Line producer- Holly- Anne Ruggiero
Here are audio files of the midi:
Intermezzo 1-"Mutual Titillating Contempt"