Little Women: An Opera in Two Acts

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Mark Adamo's transfer of the Louisa May Alcott novel to the opera stage is an artistic and commercial success. It's been scheduled by numerous opera companies, and this Houston Grand Opera production drew a large audience to its PBS broadcast. The success is due to Adamo's sense of the lyric theatre--his sharply focused libretto that clarifies both story line and the narrative's meaning, and his accessible yet sophisticated music.

Little Women is about change and letting go of the past. This theme and the dramatic conflict it engenders are beautifully encapsulated in two fine Act I scenes: Jo's "Look at us, Laurie: we're perfect as we are," and Meg's aria, "Things change." Adamo's music is equal to the challenge of his ambitious agenda. The 18-piece orchestra sounds bigger than it is, perhaps because it's always active, moving the story along on its own or commenting on the characters and action. Adamo writes big arias and unapologetically includes expressive coloratura passages. He even dares to write a Schubertian aria on the text of Goethe's "Kennst du das Land," repeating it (with variations) in English. And he injects some humor into the opera, as heard in the delightful scene of Brook's proposal to Meg, an arch snippet about surtitles, and Jo at the offices of a trashy tabloid. The singers are all first-rate, but the opera rises or falls on Jo, the kind of meaty part singers would kill for. Stephanie Novak is marvelous here, singing with passion and projecting Jo's innocence as well as her journey to self-knowledge. Patrick Summers leads a definitive performance of the opera. The recording is drawn from live performances in March 2000. Ondine, a Finnish company, has done American music proud with this release. --Dan Davis

Little Women: An Opera in Two Acts, Music, Mark Adamo, Catherine Ciesinski, James Maddalena, Daniel Belcher, Joyce DiDonato, Stephanie Novacek, Patrick Summers, Classical, Classical Music, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta

Average customer rating: Mesmerizing Most enjoyable Thank you, Mark Adamo! The opera is good, but ... New Operas are important, very important

Little Women: An Opera in Two Acts James Maddalena , Daniel Belcher , Joyce DiDonato , Stephanie Novacek , and Patrick Summers Manufacturer: Ondine ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Little Women: Opera in Two Acts Dead Man Walking (Live recording of 2000 world premiere production) Bolcom - A View from the Bridge / Josephson, Malfitano, Turay, Lyric Opera of Chicago, D. Russell Davies Cold Sassy Tree Floyd: Of Mice and Men ASIN: B00005NG58 Release Date: 2001-08-28

Tracks:

1. Four Little Chests All In A Row
2. Laurie - The Very Same, Madam
3. Couldn't I Un-bake The Breads
4. Barrister! It's A Quarter Past!
5. Again We Meet To Celebrate
6. Major, Minor
7. Socks!
8. Supper, Half An Hour!
9. Madness. No. Mania No.
10. Rigmarole? It's Another Game.
11. There Was a Knight Once
12. Oh, This Cannot be Borne.
13. She That IS Down Need Fear No Fall
14. Our Own Fanny Mendelssohn
15. Mr. John Brooke, Laurie's Tutor
16. Long May Our Comrades Prosper Well
17. Things Change Jo
18. I Understand. You're Leaving Us
19. Aunt? Now, I Haven't Done Any Shading Yet
20. We Stand Together on the old
21. Jupiter Ammon! The Poetry!
22. We Stand Together On This Old/New Day
23. Don't Dare Suggest It, Laurie

Tracks:

1. Cockling? Cackling?
2. Drizzling In New York
3. But That's Why I Loved It! So Lurid and Preposterous
4. Kennst Du Das Land, Wo Die Zitronen Bluhn?
5. Do You Know The Land Where The Lemon Trees Bloom?
6. It's Lovely. My Father Swears By Him
7. She's Asked For You
8. Have Peace Jo
9. She Who Is Down Need Fear No Fall
10. That's The Problem With Solitaire: You Always Need A King
11. My. Jo, Beyond Measure, Mother!
12. She Sounds Very Happy. I Hope Laurie Feels The Same
13. You, Alone: A Mansion Of Stone
14. So The Days Go By, And The Summers Fly
15. Let Me Look At You

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Little Women is about change and letting go of the past. This theme and the dramatic conflict it engenders are beautifully encapsulated in two fine Act I scenes: Jo's "Look at us, Laurie: we're perfect as we are," and Meg's aria, "Things change." Adamo's music is equal to the challenge of his ambitious agenda. The 18-piece orchestra sounds bigger than it is, perhaps because it's always active, moving the story along on its own or commenting on the characters and action. Adamo writes big arias and unapologetically includes expressive coloratura passages. He even dares to write a Schubertian aria on the text of Goethe's "Kennst du das Land," repeating it (with variations) in English. And he injects some humor into the opera, as heard in the delightful scene of Brook's proposal to Meg, an arch snippet about surtitles, and Jo at the offices of a trashy tabloid. The singers are all first-rate, but the opera rises or falls on Jo, the kind of meaty part singers would kill for. Stephanie Novak is marvelous here, singing with passion and projecting Jo's innocence as well as her journey to self-knowledge. Patrick Summers leads a definitive performance of the opera. The recording is drawn from live performances in March 2000. Ondine, a Finnish company, has done American music proud with this release. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Mesmerizing.......2006-05-07

Most enjoyable.......2006-02-23

Thank you, Mark Adamo!.......2005-03-08

The opera is good, but ..........2004-02-02

The opera itself is superb; among American composers, only Douglas Moore and Virgil Thomson have equalled its accomplishment. Adamo's libretto is consistently quick-witted and sharp-tongued (a trait he seems to have picked up from Alcott herself), while his music is tonal, eclectic, emotional and intelligent. Each character, it seems, has at least one moment to shine, but Professor Bhaer's German lied in Act II never fails to bring down the house. What's more, the opera stages beautifully; one gets the sense that it would be as much at home on Broadway as in the concert hall. (Hint, hint?)

Unfortunately, this particular recording is live, which means that the music doesn't come across with the same clarity that a studio recording would have. It's tough to justify shelling out more than thirty bucks for manifestly inferior sound, and I wish the Houston Grand Opera had purchased some studio time so they could give this opera its due. Still, the performances are as good as they come. For fans of the work, this will be a must-own.

New Operas are important, very important.......2003-08-17

Average customer rating: The Essential Coloratura Album

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Customer Reviews:

The Essential Coloratura Album.......2007-02-16

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