Sung in English.
Approximately 72 minutes with no intermissions.
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Peter Maxwell Davies
Conducted by Nicole Paiement and staged by DTC Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty in his opera debut, The Lighthouse is an eerie and compelling 1979 thriller based on the mysterious disappearance of a trio of lighthouse keepers off the Scottish coast. What happened in the lighthouse, and how did three experienced men vanish without a trace? The plot of this chamber opera serves up both supernatural and psychological explanations, in equal measure, as Davies’ intense, atmospheric and haunting music carries us on the tide to another world!
Synopsis
The Lighthouse by Peter Maxwell Davies
There is a crisp, no-nonsense preamble to Peter Maxwell Davies’ 1980 chamber masterpiece, The Lighthouse, that states this work “is based on the incident as described by Craig Mair in his book on the family of Stevenson, lighthouse engineers, of Edinburgh, concerning the disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers from the Flannan Isles Lighthouse, in unexplained circumstances, in 1900.”
While appearing to tell us quite a lot, in fact, this tells us little about what we can expect, over the course of this powerful and thought-provoking work. An additional note from the composer explains that the musical structure of this piece is based on the Tower of Tarot. Number symbolism is present in the music throughout, and (as Davies put it), it “erupts” onto the surface, in the form of words sung by Arthur during the card game.
But all you really need to know is this: The Lighthouse is an unresolved ghost story. It’s up to you to decide whether — and what — to believe.
• • •
The Lighthouse is performed with a prologue and a single act. The Prologue takes place in the Court of Inquiry in Edinburgh, Scotland at the turn of the 20th century. The singers portray officers from the supply ship that discovered the apparently abandoned lighthouse in the Outer Hebrides.
All three beds were empty, the table was set, but the lighthouse keepers were nowhere to be found. The men had been left longer than anticipated in their isolated environment, due to unrelenting storms. Could this account for their strange disappearance?
The inquiry itself is conducted wordlessly, by a horn in the orchestra, although the answers the officers give make the preceding questions clear to the audience. Over the course of the Prologue, the action gradually shifts from the formal testimony of the courtroom to a disturbing, and possibly diabolical, flashback.
Back in the present-day courtroom, the mystery is left unresolved as the court fails to come to a verdict.
The answers may never be known, the officers tell us, as the Lighthouse has now been automated and the building sealed. And the flashing signal light is reflected in the rhythms of the orchestra.
• • •
The act which follows bears the curious subtitle: The Cry of the Beast.
The three ship’s officers from the Prologue have now become the trio of lighthouse keepers on the tiny island of Fladda, in the North Sea. They are seated around a table; yet, the atmosphere is far from convivial.
Arthur is described by the composer as a “Bible-thumping religious zealot,” constantly at odds with Blazes, who considers him an out-and-out hypocrite. The third man in the trio is Sandy, the peacemaker, who tries to keep the situation on the island from spinning out of control.
Arthur goes upstairs to light the great lantern that guides approaching vessels while Sandy and Blazes quarrel over a game of cards. When Arthur returns, tensions continue to mount. Sandy cajoles Blazes to sing a cheerful song, which he does, and the others join in. Although these songs may appear light and rather ordinary, each gives us insights into the inner man.
Blazes sings a harsh ballad about growing up in the inner city slums and living a life of crime that ultimately leads to murder.
Sandy gives us a love song, which is taken up by the other two men, suggesting that Sandy may not be as innocent as he would have us believe.
Then Arthur sings a rousing religious number. Not something that could be mistaken for a hymn. No, this is a vigorous tune about the wrath of the Lord, God’s vengeance upon the Children of Israel for their worship of the Golden Calf, and it equates God’s will with Arthur’s inner demons.
• • •
The atmosphere begins to change, growing colder by the minute. Fog surrounds the lighthouse and the foghorn begins to sound; “the cry of the Beast across the sleeping world,” as Arthur sings.
Out of the mist, ghosts from the trio’s past emerge, seeking revenge for past deeds. These ghosts are invisible. However, Sandy and Blazes are convinced they are real, and see the phantoms in their crazed imaginations…see them inviting the troubled pair to accompany them into the night.
Arthur returns from the lightroom, equally convinced that “the Beast” has been calling to them across the sea. Is the Golden Calf coming to claim his servants? Beneath the dazzling eye of the Beast, the three men gather to sing and to pray, as the storm rages around them. They bellow a hymn, seeking God’s protection from this malevolent spirit that they now perceive as the Anti-Christ.
In the blinding light, a change occurs…and the three lighthouse keepers are transformed into the three supply ship’s officers, now searching for the missing men. But things may not be as they seem. Do the officers wish to know the truth, deny it, or merely cover it up?
When the relief lighthouse keepers enter the lighthouse, although they are indistinct, it’s possible they are the same trio of Sandy, Blazes and Arthur. And as the lighthouse operates on “automatic,” it becomes increasingly likely that we have been witnessing a ghostly night of theatrics, in which events that transpired long ago are re-enacted, again and again, for all eternity.
Cast Biographies
Although we are always happy to support the careers of local artists, the Dallas Opera attracts international casts from as far away as Russia and China in order to bring North Texas audiences the very best the world has to offer. This is the place where opera legend Plácido Domingo made his U.S. debut. Opera’s greatest stars are always shining at the Dallas Opera!
Starring
Officer 1 / Sandy
Andrew BidlackDallas Opera debut
Tenor Andrew Bidlack, a recent graduate of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Adler Fellowship, begins the 2010-2011 Season with his New York City Opera debut as Baron Lummer in Strauss’ Intermezzo, followed by his return to Florida Grand Opera as Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni). In concert, he performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Carnegie Hall, followed by Gomatz in Mozart’s Zaide with Musica Angelica. Recent engagements include Count Almaviva (Il barbiere di Siviglia) at Florida Grand Opera, covers of Emilio (Partenope) at New York City Opera and performances of the tenor solo in Carmina Burana with The South Dakota Symphony. In July he made his South American debut as Oronte (Alcina) with Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile.
A frequent interpreter of new works by some of today’s most significant composers, Mr. Bidlack sang Ishmael in a workshop production of Jake Heggie’s latest opera Moby-Dick with the San Francisco Opera and headed to Wolf Trap this season to sing Tancredi in a workshop production of John Musto’s new opera The Inspector.
Selected by Florida Grand Opera, Mr. Bidlack is the recipient of the 2009-2010 Gilbert Artist Award, given to a former Young Artist who is returning to sing a role in a mainstage production. Next season, he is engaged to sing at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Officer 2 / Blazes
Robert Orth
Robert Orth is a leading baritone with major opera companies including those in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, D.C., Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, Portland, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Denver. He was named “Artist of the Year” by both New York City Opera and Seattle Opera. New York City Opera also gave him the Christopher Keene Award for new and unusual repertoire. He has appeared as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Seattle, Denver, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., in repertoire ranging from Brahms’ Requiem to Broadway pops to his most repeated symphonic piece, Carmina Burana.
Performing new American operas has brought Mr. Orth great pleasure and acclaim. He was John Buchanan, Jr., in Lee Hoiby’s Summer and Smoke (based on the Tennessee Williams play), which was broadcast nationally on Public Television. At the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, he was Count Almaviva in the premiere of Rosina. In Milwaukee he was Fantomas in Stanley Silverman’s Hotel for Criminals. He played the Lodger in Dominic Argento’s The Aspern Papers in its East Coast premiere at the Kennedy Center; and he was the Lecturer in Argento’s one-man opera A Waterbird Talk in Chicago. Also in Chicago, he sang the central role of the Father in Hugo Weissgall’s Six Characters in Search of an Author in its second professional production. He created the title role in the world premiere of Harvey Milk by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie in Houston, New York and San Francisco. In 1997 he portrayed Frank Lloyd Wright in Shining Brow, a new opera by Daron Aric Hagen, based on the life of the great American architect. In 2000 he played Owen Hart in San Francisco in the world premiere of Dead Man Walking, with music by Jake Heggie and libretto by Terrence McNally. In 2001 he premiered Michael John LaChiusa’s Lovers and Friends (Chatauqua Variations) in Chicago. In 2002 he premiered Garrison Keillor’s new opera Mr. and Mrs. Olson in St. Paul. In 2004 he was Mr. Parkis in the premiere of Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair. That same year he first portrayed Richard Nixon in John Adams’ Nixon in China in St. Louis, and subsequently in Portland, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Vancouver and Toronto. In 2007 he was Uncle John in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Capt. Compson in Midnight Angel by David Carlson. In 2008 he premiered Sinners in San Jose, a song cycle written for him by Craig Bohmler and Marion Adler. That fall he was LBJ in Dallas in the world premier of Steven Stucky and Gene Scheer’s August 4, 1964. He was Albert Godby in the world premiere of Andre Previn’s Brief Encounter in 2009. And in 2010, he created the role of Mr. Stubb in the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick.
His recordings include The Telephone by Giancarlo Menotti, Nixon in China, Six Characters in Search of an Author, Harvey Milk, Dead Man Walking, Hansel and Gretel, Shining Brow, The Grapes of Wrath and Brief Encounter.
Officer 3 / Arthur / Voice of Cards
Daniel Sumegi
Since his U.S. debut in 1991, bass Daniel Sumegi has already built an impressive career. With over 85 roles in his repertoire, he has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden and the Paris Opera, as well as with major opera companies across the United States, Europe, Asia, South America and his native Australia.
Recent engagements include the Ring Cycle (Seattle Opera) and Der Fliegende Holländer (State Opera of South Australia), Götterdämmerung (New National Theater, Tokyo), a return to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Daland in Der Fliegende Holländer, and his first time as Wotan and the Wanderer, serving as cover for Los Angeles Opera’s Ring Cycle. 2010/11 season had Sumegi appearing in Salome (Washington National Opera), Rigoletto (Los Angeles Opera), Götterdämmerung (Opera du Rhin, Strassbourg) and San Francisco Opera’s Ring Cycle.
Production Team
Conductor
Nicole PaiementDallas Opera debut
Conductor Nicole Paiement has been the Artistic Director of Ensemble Parallèle (EP) since its foundation in 1994 — a professional ensemble, dedicated to contemporary chamber opera and interdisciplinary projects. With this Ensemble, Paiement has recorded many world premieres performances, commissioned many new works from composers of various countries, and toured in various countries including Australia and Korea. The Ensemble’s most recent projects have included the world premiere of Lou Harrison’s Young Caesar, the west coast premiere of John Rea’s re-orchestration of Berg’s Wozzeck and the San Francisco premiere of Philip Glass’ opera Orphée, Paiement is presently working on the world-premiere performance of the chamber version of John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby, as well as a commissioned opera by composer Dante De Silva. In collaboration with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts, she will conduct Ensemble Parallèle in a new adaptation of Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts this summer.
Paiement is also the Artistic Director of the BluePrint Project — a series focused on building new music for the city of San Francisco. Over the years, BluePrint has collaborated with various organizations in the San Francisco Bay area. These have included the Pacific Rim Festival, Asian Art Museum, Other Mind Festival and the International Women Composers Festival. Additionally, Paiement serves as director of Ensembles at the University of California, Santa Cruz and as the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music New Music Ensemble.
Maestro Paiement is an active guest conductor. She made her 2004 Korean conducting debut in the world premiere of Chan-Hae Lee’s opera Back to the Origins and Nicola Le Fanu’s Old Woman of Beare. She has committed her talents to a variety of interdisciplinary projects, collaborating with dancers and media artists, both in America and abroad.
This chamber opera will mark only the second time in the 54-year history of the Dallas Opera that a woman conductor has been on the podium. Our first female conductor was Sarah Caldwell in 1974 performances of Ambroise Thomas’ Mignon.
Stage Director
Kevin MoriartyDallas Opera debut
Kevin Moriarty joined the Dallas Theater Center in September 2007 as the theater’s sixth artistic director. His recent positions include Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY; Head of the MFA Directing Program for the Brown University/Trinity Rep Consortium; and Associate Director at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI.
At the Hangar, Moriarty directed world premiere productions of Bach at Leipzig by Itamar Moses; Indoor/Outdoor by Kenny Finkle; Rough Magic by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa; Bleeding Kansas by Kathryn Walat; and Fixed by Scott Organ. He has also directed Hangar mainstage productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bloodline: The Childrenof Argos, The Sound of Music, Hello Dolly!, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
At Trinity Rep, Moriarty’s productions as a director included The Merry Wives of Windsor (Elliot Norton Award, Best Director, 2004); Nickel and Dimed; Indoor/Outdoor; Richard II; Richard III; A Delicate Balance; and A Christmas Carol. Moriarty has directed plays and musicals regionally and in New York City, including Jesus Christ Superstar starring Sebastian Bach and Carl Anderson (National Tour; McCoy/ Rigby, Nederlander, Really Useful Group, 2002-05); The God Committee by Mark St. Germain (Lambs Theatre); A Christmas Carol starring Stacy Keach (Cutler Majestic Theatre); Betrayal (Syracuse Stage); Romeo and Juliet (Lincoln Center Institute); Guys and Dolls (Muhlenberg Summer Music Theatre); Jekyll and Hyde and The Secret Garden (Theatreworks/USA). Moriarty was born in Rensselaer, Indiana and spent his childhood in the rural Midwest.
Upon graduating from college with a Music Education degree in 1989, he worked as a public school music teacher at La Crescent High School in Minnesota for three years before attending the Trinity Repertory Conservatory. He later worked as an actor, an assistant director for Michael Mayer on Broadway, a teaching artist at middle schools in New York City, and as a visiting instructor and guest director at Wagner College. Moriarty is a member of the Drama League Director Project’s Advisory Council, the recipient of a Drama League Directors Project directing fellowship, a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
Set Designer
Beowulf BorittDallas Opera debut
A frequent artistic collaborator of the Dallas Theater Center’s Kevin Moriarty, his work for the DTC includes designs for It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman, Give it Up!, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Who’s Tommy. On Broadway, Mr. Boritt has designed Sondheim On Sondheim, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, LoveMusik, Rock of Ages, The Two and Only. Off-Broadway, his scenic designs have wowed audiences to more than 50 shows, including The Scottsboro Boys, The Last Five Years, The Toxic Avenger, Sleepwalk with Me, Saint Lucy’s Eyes, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and Miss Julie. He has also designed for the Public, MTC, 2nd Stage, MCC, The New Group, Pearl Theatre, American Place, and Keen Co, as well as the 2007 and 2008 Ringling Brothers Circus. Mr. Boritt’s numerous awards and accolades include an Obie, Audelco and Barrymore, in addition to a Tony Award nomination, two Lortel nominations and three Drama Desk nominations.
Costume Designer
Claudia StephensDallas Opera debut
Associate Professor of Costume Design at SMU’s Meadows School of the arts, Claudia Stephens moved to Dallas in 1997 from her base in New York City, where she successfully designed for opera, theater and dance. During her 30 years as a costume designer, Ms. Stephens has created costume designs for more than 140 productions in both the U.S. and abroad. Her students are currently working in the costume industry in NYC, LA, Chicago, Texas, Florida, Idaho and Oklahoma. In New York City, her designs have been seen at Lincoln Center, Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Playwrights Horizons, Dance Theatre Workshop, Primary Stages, Classic Stage Company, and Soho Repertory Theatre, to name a few.
On Broadway (including tours), Ms. Stephens has worked with Stephen Sondheim, Ann Hould-Ward and Cleo Laine, Into The Woods National Tour; James Lapine, Ann Hould-Ward and Stephen Bogardus, Falsettos; Bernadette Peters, Martin Short, Neil Simon and Santo Loquasto, The Goodbye Girl; Neil Simon, Alan Alda, Kate Burton and Santo Loquasto, Jake’s Women; Gene Saks, Kevin Spacey, Mercedes Ruhl and Santo Loquasto, Lost in Yonkers; William Ivey Long, Phillip Bosco and Victor Garber, Lend Me A Tenor.
Elsewhere in the U.S., her opera and theatre designs have been seen at Portland Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespearean Festival, St. Louis Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Denver Center Theater, Merrimack Theater, Triad Theatre, etc.
A member of Big Dance Theatre Dance Company since 1995, her costume designs for dance have leapt across stages in NYC, the United States and Europe.
Recently, Ms. Stephens designed Before Night Falls for Ft. Worth Opera with director David Gately and scene designer Riccardo Hernandez (May 2010) and the 2008 southwest premiere of the opera Angels in America, also directed by David Gately with the Fort Worth Opera; Comme Toujours Here I Stand with Big Dance Theatre, which premiered in Lyon, France, April 2009; A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the opening of the Charles & Dee Wyly Theater, fall, 2009; Dividing The Estate, also at the Wyly Theater, opening March 2011.
Miss Stephens holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in Costume Design from Carnegie Mellon University.
Lighting Designer
Tyler MicoleauDallas Opera debut
Wig & Make-up Design
Stephanie Williams
Facts
Conversation Starter
The piece is based on an incident described by Craig Mair in his book on the Stevenson family, lighthouse engineers of Edinburgh, concerning the disappearance of the three lighthouse keepers from the Flannan Isles lighthouse in unexplained circumstances, in 1900.
Recommended Reading
- Lighthouses by Laurence Parent & Elinor DeWire
- Ghostly Lighthouses from Maine to Florida by Sheryl Monks
Performances
| Friday, March 16, 2012 7:30pm | Buy |
| Saturday, March 17, 2012 7:30pm | Buy |
| Sunday, March 18, 2012 2:00pm | Buy |
Or, buy a subscription to enjoy multiple operas and TDO Subscriber Benefits!
Venue
Performances of The Lighthouse take place in the Wyly Theatre across the street from the Winspear Opera House in the AT&T Performing Arts Center.
