Brokeback Mountain - The Opera

[BBM-Cat]

"Brokeback Mountain" writer Annie Proulx has given the go-ahead to an opera based on her story about the two gay cowboys.

Source: http://www.bgay.com/bnews/news70925_brokeback_mountain_the_opera.htm

[moremojo]

That's pretty amazing! A musical would be hard enough to pull off, but an opera would be even more challenging. I've not heard of the composer before. I wonder who will serve as librettist--Ennis will be a very difficult character to convey through musical drama, and I imagine the creators here will be compelled to make him more vocally expressive.

[Kd5000]

Welll, there is usually quite a bid of tradegy in operas.  Certainly, BBM has that aspect.  A western as opera has been done before.  I saw THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE, quite good. 

I wonder if they will expand or add on certain aspects and what scenes that might be left out.  Jack's confrontation with his father-in-law at Thanksgiving, how would you do that.  Obviously operas are a very different art form in comparison with films. IT shall be interesting, to say the least.   I hope it can be as good as the movie.

[moremojo]

An operatic trivia question: Can anyone name the opera featuring the form's first openly gay male character and its composer? Bonus points for naming the character and the singer who created the role! 

[Meryl]

An operatic trivia question: Can anyone name the opera featuring the form's first openly gay male character and its composer? Bonus points for naming the character and the singer who created the role! 

I'm guessing "Death in Venice" by Benjamin Britten, starring Peter Pears as Aschenbach (though I wouldn't describe him as openly gay). 

[BBM-Cat]

I believe opera will be a very interesting medium for BBM, though I am having some trouble picturing it; I agree Moremojo - portraying Ennis' character will be especially challenging. Perhaps the operatic format will offer deeper insight into what he is thinking/feeling, offered as asides. Or, his character will have some extremely short pieces! How will they translate all those 'hunhs' ?

And, I'm willing to bet Meryl, our resident opera-expert, just nailed your trivia question!

[Penthesilea]

Jos Van Kan was the director of the Dutch play Brokeback Mountain, which we Eurobrokies (and our Eurobrokie H.C., Leslie) saw together back in March. He wanted to make an opera about BBM.
I wonder whether Jos van Kan has something to do with this, or if someone else had the same idea and this is a totally different project?

I believe opera will be a very interesting medium for BBM, though I am having some trouble picturing it; I agree Moremojo - portraying Ennis' character will be especially challenging. Perhaps the operatic format will offer deeper insight into what he is thinking/feeling, offered as asides. Or, his character will have some extremely short pieces! How will they translate all those 'hunhs' ?

All those 'hunhs' of Ennis are in the movie, not in the story. My guess is that this opera will be based on the story, not the movie - just as the play was. After all, the story is the original work. The movie is one possible interpretation of it; the play was another one and an opera would provide a third one.

[moremojo]

I'm guessing "Death in Venice" by Benjamin Britten, starring Peter Pears as Aschenbach (though I wouldn't describe him as openly gay). 

That's a good guess, Meryl, but it is actually The Knot Garden, composed by Michael Tippett (1905-1998) to his own libretto, and which premiered at London's Covent Garden on December 2, 1970. The character is Dov, and tenor Robert Tear created the role. As Dov's lover Mel (created by Thomas Carey) is also a character in the opera, one could argue that this opera introduced two more-or-less openly gay male characters to the genre, but Dov is always the one cited in this context.

Tippett later organized some of Dov's arias into a separate work called Songs for Dov.

Incidentally, Death in Venice premiered at Snape Maltings on June 16, 1973.

[mvansand76]

Jos Van Kan was the director of the Dutch play Brokeback Mountain, which we Eurobrokies (and our Eurobrokie H.C., Leslie) saw together back in March. He wanted to make an opera about BBM.
I wonder whether Jos van Kan has something to do with this, or if someone else had the same idea and this is a totally different project?

I wonder this too. It would be very exciting, but I think he wanted to do this in London, if I remember correctly. He still has the stage rights so he can do with it what he wants, at least that's what the actors said! Can't believe that was already half a year ago!!!

 

[David In Indy]

I wonder this too. It would be very exciting, but I think he wanted to do this in London, if I remember correctly. He still has the stage rights so he can do with it what he wants, at least that's what the actors said! Can't believe that was already half a year ago!!!

 

I'm STILL thinking about that washrag.