American Music Theatre Premieres in Rome: John Adams and Leonard Bernstein
Recently, Rome showcased American musical theater with the premieres of John Adams's 'The Gospel According to the Other Mary' and Leonard Bernstein's 'Trouble in Tahiti'. The oratorio-opera 'The Gospel', co-produced by the Romaeuropa Festival and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, was conducted by Adams and ran from November 2 to 4 at the Sala Santa Cecilia. It features a libretto by Peter Sellars and stars Kelley O'Connor, Elisabeth DeShong, and Jay Hunter Morris. Meanwhile, 'Trouble in Tahiti' opened the 55th Nuova Consonanza Festival on November 11 at Teatro Palladium, offering a satirical take on the American suburban dream, with Chiara Osella and Dario Ciotoli in the cast, directed by Fabio Maestri. These performances highlight Rome's significance in the realm of contemporary music.
Key facts
- John Adams's 'The Gospel According to the Other Mary' had its Italian premiere in Rome, November 2-4, 2018.
- Leonard Bernstein's 'Trouble in Tahiti' had its Roman premiere on November 11, 2018, opening the 55th Nuova Consonanza Festival.
- The Gospel was co-produced by Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Romaeuropa Festival.
- Trouble in Tahiti was produced in collaboration with Opera InCanto and Roma Tre University at Teatro Palladium.
- The Gospel features a libretto by Peter Sellars combining biblical texts with writings by Dorothy Day, June Jordan, and others.
- Rome is one of three European capitals of contemporary music, along with Paris and Berlin.
- Suguru Agata of the Japan Electronic Keyboard Society studied live electronics in Rome.
- Nuova Consonanza is Italy's leading contemporary music association, running an annual international festival for 55 years.
Entities
Artists
- John Adams
- Leonard Bernstein
- Peter Sellars
- Kelley O'Connor
- Elisabeth DeShong
- Jay Hunter Morris
- Daniel Bubeck
- Brian Cummings
- Nathan Medley
- Chiara Osella
- Dario Ciotoli
- Lucia Filaci
- Carlo Putelli
- Luca Bruno
- Fabio Maestri
- Suguru Agata
- Giuseppe Pennisi
- Dorothy Day
- June Jordan
- Rosario Castellanos
- Louise Erdrich
- Hildegarde von Bingen
- Primo Levi
- Ruben Dario
- Marc Blitzstein
- Scott Joplin
- George Gershwin
Institutions
- Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
- Romaeuropa Festival
- Nuova Consonanza
- Opera InCanto
- Università di Roma Tre
- Teatro Palladium
- Japan Electronic Keyboard Society
- Showa University
- Artribune
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Paris
- France
- Berlin
- Germany
- Los Angeles
- United States
- New York
- Bonn
- Sala Santa Cecilia
- Teatro Palladium