Philip Glass' new 'Circus Days and Nights' is the latest example of the composer's operas proving to be a prime source of experimentation during the pandemic.
Glass operas have been everywhere. The Metropolitan Opera’s nightly streams have included “Satyagraha” and “Akhnaten.” Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur has posted Lucinda Childs’ luminous new virtual production ofon YouTube.
But nothing has matched the profound amalgamation of eloquence and entertainment found in “Circus Days and Nights.” In the opera, an old Lax, sung by a baritone, ponders his younger circus-fixated self, sung by a soprano, with wise bemusement. The circus comes to town as an engine of wonder. Lax likens it to the Genesis, an act of celestial creation.
The circus tinge to Glass’ score, which is written for a small ensemble and a dramatic accordionist, Minna Weulander, brings to mind the composer’s early studies with French composer Darius Milhaud, and especially Milhaud’s popular surrealist Cocteau ballet score, “Le Boeuf sur le Toit” . The Paris premiere featured circus clowns.
“The traveling circus is always in motion, even when it seems to be standing still,” is another of Lax’s memorable lines that finds its way into Hwang’s libretto. The opposite is also true with Glass’ late-style music. There are parts of the new score that sound remarkably fresh, and there are patches of note-spinning, the noodling he has done a million times.
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