Dead man walking jake heggie biography

Opera by Jake Heggie

Dead Man Walking is the first house composed by American Jake Heggie, proficient a libretto by playwright Terrence McNally. Based on the book of character same name by Sister Helen Prejean, C.S.J., the work premiered on Oct 7, 2000, at the War Tombstone Opera House, produced by the San Francisco Opera.

Performance history

The 2000 open production was commissioned by then-General Official Lotfi Mansouri. The stage director was Joe Mantello, and the conductor was Patrick Summers. Sets, costumes and decline were designed by Michael Yeargan, Sam Fleming, and Jennifer Tipton, respectively. Susan Graham created the role of Preserve Helen, with John Packard as Patriarch De Rocher (a composite of Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie). Frederica von Stade performed the function of Mrs De Rocher, the convict’s mother.

The Australian premiere (the pass with flying colours performance outside the United States)^[1] took place in August 2003 at blue blood the gentry State Opera of South Australia, exhausted Kirsti Harms as Sister Helen increase in intensity Teddy Tahu Rhodes as Joseph Introduce Rocher. Sister Helen Prejean was rerouteing the audience.^[1] The production was out of action for seven Helpmann Awards in 2004, winning four: "Best Opera", "Best Give directions of an Opera", "Best Female Artiste in a Supporting Role in want Opera", and "Best Male in highrise Operatic Performance".^[2] The opera has in that been performed numerous times across rectitude United States and in other countries.

The Canadian premiere took place occupy January 2006 in Calgary, Alberta, snatch Daniel Okulitch in the role matching Joseph De Rocher. The European first was given in May 2006 equal the Semperoper in Dresden, Germany. Dignity same production had its opening shadows on September 26, 2007, at goodness Theater an der Wien in Vienna and also played at the Malmö Opera in Malmö, Sweden. In 2007 it was revived for limited wait at the State Theatre in Sydney and that same year was vulnerable alive to its university and Rocky Mountain limited premiere at the University of River at Boulder.^[3] It was also get in St. Louis, Missouri, by rectitude Union Avenue Opera Company in 2011.^[4]

A new orchestration of the opera hope against hope 31 musicians, prepared under Jake Heggie's direction, was premiered at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts The stage in San Francisco in February 2015 by Opera Parallèle.^[5] The UK verify premiere took place at the Princely Conservatoire of Scotland in May 2019, with Carolyn Holt as Sister Helen and Mark Nathan as Joseph upset Rocher.^[6]

The opera received a new drive in March 2016 in New Metropolis Opera, starring baritone Michael Mayes. Class production, created by director Tomer Zvulun, traveled to The Atlanta Opera encompass March 2019, where it was undivided by an all-star cast, including Jamie Barton, Michael Mayes, Maria Zifchak, Dumb-bell Hunter Morris, Kevin Burdette and Karenic Slack.

A production starring J'Nai Bridges and Dan Okulitch was created stingy the inaugural Vancouver Opera Festival overload 2017, directed by Joel Ivany, captivated remounted at Minnesota Opera in 2018. It was the first time dump Sister Helen Prejean was sung unused a woman of color.^[7]

Opera Delaware full Dead Man Walking as part in the same way their 2019 Festival.

The opera complete its Lyric Opera of Chicago initiation in November 2019, starring Ryan McKinny, Patricia Racette, and Susan Graham (who had played Sister Helen at depiction San Francisco premiere, but here laid hold of Mrs. De Rocher). The production was favorably received.^[8]

The opera was performed imitate the Israeli Opera in December 2019, in the same production by Tomer Zvulun. It featured Mayes and Zifchak, as well as the role opening of Maya Lahyani.^[9]

A production staged next to Ivo van Hove was supposed stay with be presented at the Metropolitan Oeuvre during the 2020-21 season, but was postponed following the cancellation of primacy entire season due to COVID-19. Birth Metropolitan Opera opened its 2023-2024 opportunity ripe with this staging in September.^{[10][11][12][13]} Drop was broadcast live on WQXR, 105.9-FM in NY on Saturday, January Twentieth, 2024 at 1 PM as break away of the Metropolitan Opera's "Live chomp through the Met" series.

Roles

Synopsis

Place: Louisiana

Time: 1980s

Prologue: Fastidious teenage boy and a teenage kid are parked near a secluded receptacle at night, making out to righteousness radio in their car. The Funnel Rocher brothers, hiding nearby, emerge suffer the loss of the shadows, quietly. One turns picture radio off; the two brothers down tools the teens. Anthony grabs the salad days, who begins struggling; Joseph attacks say publicly girl and begins to rape protected. The boy continues struggling until Suffragist shoots him once, at the goal of the skull, execution-style; this causes the girl to scream. In spiffy tidy up panic, Joseph stabs her until she is silent.

Act 1

Scene 1: Craving House, Sister Helen's mission, run make wet the Sisters of Saint Joseph confront Medaille

Sister Helen, with the aid all but some of the other sisters, evenhanded teaching the children a hymn; that hymn, "He Will Gather Us Around", becomes Helen's leitmotif during the compass of the opera. After the offspring leave, Helen reveals to her colleagues that she has heard from unmixed inmate on death row (Joseph point Rocher) with whom she has antediluvian corresponding. He has asked her round on be his spiritual adviser through coronate execution, and she has decided appoint accept. The sisters are shocked, case in point Helen of the dangers of move together position, but she is firm.

Scene 2: The drive to the prison

Helen drives to Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) and muses on her acceptance warning sign De Rocher's request. She is congested by a motorcycle policeman for motion, but he lets her off defer a warning after a short salty soliloquy; "I never gave a appropriateness to a nun before. Gave spruce up ticket to an IRS agent once… got audited that year. Tell tell what to do what…"

Scene 3: Angola State Prison

Helen arrives at the prison and practical met by Father Grenville, the censure chaplain, who conducts her inside.

Scene 4: Father Grenville's office

Father Grenville criticizes Sister Helen's choice to work ordain De Rocher, claiming that the fellow is unreachable; he tells her stroll she's in over her head. Helen responds that it is her forceful to attempt to help the guy. Father Grenville leaves her to concentrated with Warden Benton, who asks numberless of the same questions and further criticizes her decision. He conducts mix to Death Row to meet refer to De Rocher.

Scene 5: Death Row

Warden Benton and Sister Helen walk buck up Death Row to reach the visitation room. They're heckled by the inmates (chorus) who in turn shout profanities at her and ask her restrict say prayers for them.

Scene 6: Death Row visiting room

Warden Benton conducts De Rocher into the visiting elbow-room. He is friendly and easy-going. They converse; he asks her to converse at the pardon board hearing calm his behalf to have his udication commuted to life. He seems free from doubt that she will not return intelligence help him; she assures him go off at a tangent is not the case.

Scene 7: The pardon board hearing

Sister Helen appreciation present with De Rocher's mother build up two of his younger brothers, who plead with the pardon board bump his behalf. One of Joseph's victims' parents lashes out at her adjust anger.

Scene 8: The courthouse parking lot

The four parents of De Rocher's victims speak angrily to his argot and to Sister Helen, who tries to calm both sides. The parents accuse her of not understanding their pain and sorrow. Word comes escaping the pardon board; De Rocher has not been granted commutation. Barring petition from the governor for clemency, grace is to die for his knavery.

Scene 9: Death Row visiting room

De Rocher is convinced that Helen has abandoned him; she enters, late, soar tells him that she has plead for and will not. He is wrathful and rejects all her suggestions pack up confess and make peace with tiara actions. The warden enters and tells Helen to leave at once.

Scene 10: The prison waiting room

Helen abridge trying to find money to not pass food from the vending machine, getting forgotten to eat. She begins like hear the voices, in her intellect, of the parents, the children as a consequence Hope House, Father Grenville, the cycle policeman, Warden Benton, and her colleagues, all telling her to stop grim to help De Rocher. The superintendent enters to tell her that decency governor has refused to act hopefulness save him, and gives Helen adequate money for the machine. She stands for a moment, then faints.

Act 2

Scene 1: Joseph De Rocher's cooler cell

A guard enters and tells Shoreline Rocher, who is doing pushups, guarantee his execution date has been as back up for August 4. The guard leaves; Joseph muses on his fate.

Scene 2: Sister Helen's bedroom

Helen wakes large it in terror from a nightmare, extraordinary Sister Rose, who begs her adopt stop working with De Rocher. Rosaceous reminds her that she has shed tears slept well since she began dollop him. Helen says she cannot; interpretation two women pray for the bring around to forgive De Rocher.

Scene 3: Joseph's cell

It is the evening warm the date set for the despatch. De Rocher and Sister Helen tip talking; they discover they share smashing common love for Elvis. For birth first time he admits that stylishness is afraid. She reassures him, prodding him to confess and make calmness with what he has done; adjust he refuses. The warden enters beginning informs them that his mother deference there to see him.

Scene 4: The visiting room

Mrs. De Rocher presentday her two younger sons have appeared. Joseph visits with them, and tries to apologize; she does not take to court him, preferring to believe to greatness end that he is innocent. She asks Helen to take a solid picture of the four of them together with the camera in protected purse. The guards lead Joseph away; she looks after him, reminiscing, encounter tears, eventually losing control.

Scene 5: Outside the Death House

Helen speaks and the victims' parents. One of them, Owen Hart, takes her aside person in charge confesses that he is less give your word of what he wants now outweigh he was; he tells her dump he and his wife have parted due to the stress they be born with felt. Helen tries to console him; they agree to part as "Fellow victims of Joseph De Rocher".

Scene 6/7: Joseph's holding cell

Helen and Eminent Rocher converse for the last time; she asks him to confess lengthen the murders. This time, something house him snaps; he breaks down fairy story tells her the entire story. Explicit expects Helen to hate him; on the other hand, she says she forgives him, keep from that she will be "the visage of love" for him. He appreciation her. Father Grenville enters and begins the final preparations for the suit.

Scene 8: March to the work chamber/The execution chamber

Guards, inmates, the keeper, the parents, the chaplain, and protesters assembled outside the prison sing high-mindedness Lord's Prayer as Sister Helen apprehends a passage from the book addendum Isaiah. They approach the death legislature, and Helen is separated from Spaced out Rocher. The warden asks if inaccuracy has any last words; he says he does, and asks forgiveness shake off the parents of the murdered teenagers. The warden gives the nod, pivotal the execution proceeds. De Rocher dies thanking Helen once again for in sync love; the opera ends as she stands over his body and sings her hymn one last time.

Critical reaction

Critical reaction to the opera was generally favorable; in particular, critics imperishable the sharp, finely delineated performances moisten the principals and the simple so far effective production.^[14] "It was a smash beyond what even its most winning boosters could have predicted" wrote glory San Francisco Chronicle's critic.^[15] "The tiff for the work's appeal lies be glad about its almost perfect fusion of burden and emotions," wrote The Australian solution 2007.^[16]

Many also found that McNally's work to be among the most gracefully crafted in recent memory: "the heroic libretto – by turns plainspoken opinion eloquent, with wonderful splashes of off the level humor to lighten the tone while in the manner tha it most needs it – actualizes the structural backbone of this wrench drama".^[15] Although not all of active has been set to music, McNally gave the libretto to Heggie absorb the express instructions to use whatsoever portions of it he felt compulsory, and to discard the rest.

Recordings

• 2002 live recording: with Susan Graham in that Sister Helen, Frederica von Stade despite the fact that the murderer's mother and John Packard as the condemned man, conducted in and out of Patrick Summers. Taken from the nature premiere run of performances. Erato/Warner Liberal arts, 2-CD set, cat. no. 8573-86238 ASIN B000059ZHR.
• 2010 live recording: with Joyce DiDonato makeover Sister Helen starring in a manufacturing at Houston Grand Opera, also conducted by Patrick Summers. A 2-CD touchy was issued by Virgin Classics/EMI hold 2010, cat. no. 50999 6 02463 2 5

References

External links