Kommiltonen! was written to be performed by students jointly for Julliard School and the Royal Academy of Music. They wanted a piece not only for students but about students noted David Pountney, the librettist, in the program. Planned at a time when students were not active, it focuses on three incidents of student action with three very different outcomes. (And then there was Occupy Wall Street, not in the opera, but activity seems to be in style again). The three stories are interwoven--apparently straight line story telling is dead. Too bad. The three stories require three different musical idioms, German, American and Chinese. This is a rich work providing opportunity to consider history, philosophy, musical style, artistic choices, performance choices--it could be a college major all by itself.
The three incidents are the White Rose movement of the Scholl brother and sister in Nazi Germany/ The story of James Meredith and his entry into the University of Mississippi in the 60's, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Three historical incidents. The Scholls were executed by the Nazis. Meredith graduated but remained ever controversial. Wu accommodates to the government, matures to write the history of the cultural revolution and sings that he knows who murdered his parents but will not reveal their names.
David Maxwell Davies has said that he did not want to write music that would turn students off to twenty-first century music for life. He was also mindful of the limits of students. The music is modern but I thought effective. One does long for a rouse one can go out singing at the ending, but the ending he created is certainly effective.
I found this moving and wish it a long life.
The three incidents are the White Rose movement of the Scholl brother and sister in Nazi Germany/ The story of James Meredith and his entry into the University of Mississippi in the 60's, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Three historical incidents. The Scholls were executed by the Nazis. Meredith graduated but remained ever controversial. Wu accommodates to the government, matures to write the history of the cultural revolution and sings that he knows who murdered his parents but will not reveal their names.
David Maxwell Davies has said that he did not want to write music that would turn students off to twenty-first century music for life. He was also mindful of the limits of students. The music is modern but I thought effective. One does long for a rouse one can go out singing at the ending, but the ending he created is certainly effective.
I found this moving and wish it a long life.
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