|
HEART
OF A SOLDIER
by Christopher Theofanidis
and Donna Di Novelli September 10-30
War Memorial Opera House
A San
Francisco Opera World Premiere
Starring Thomas
Hampson, William Burden and Melody Moore
Patrick Summers: Music Direction / Francesca Zambello: Stage Direction
San Francisco Opera presents the world premiere of Heart
of a Soldier in commemoration of the 10th anniversary
of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11. The new opera,
by composer Christopher Theofanidis with a libretto by Donna Di Novelli,
was commissioned by San Francisco Opera and is based on the critically
acclaimed book of the same title by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
James B. Stewart and the life stories of Susan Rescorla, Rick Rescorla
and Daniel J. Hill.
A tale of war, love and friendship, Heart of a Soldier premieres
on September 10, 2011. It tells the dramatic, extraordinary story
of Rick Rescorla, a man trained to be a consummate soldier who gave
up his own life saving thousands in the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Inspired by the American soldiers he saw as a boy in Cornwall, England
preparing to launch the Normandy invasion on what became D-Day, and
by his adult friendship with American fighting man Dan Hill, whom he
meets in war-torn Rhodesia, Rescorla emigrates to the United States
in the early 1960s to become a soldier and a “Yank,” ultimately
becoming a decorated platoon leader during the Vietnam War. On September
11, 2001, as head of security for Morgan Stanley at Two World Trade
Center, Rescorla is thrown to the floor when United Airlines Flight
175 crashes into the South Tower. Amidst the unimaginable chaos that
ensues, Rescorla uses his commanding presence and booming voice to literally
sing his colleagues down smoke-filled stairs and out of the building.
While he successfully evacuates all of his company’s 2,700 employees
from the South Tower before it collapses, Rescorla makes the ultimate
sacrifice when he goes back into the building to search for stragglers.
Heart of a Soldier is an opera about a hero
who disdains that very term, and about his deep friendship with an American
soldier, so unlike him in approach and yet so similar in dedication
and bravery.
Thomas Hampson, renowned American baritone great champion
of American song and music, creates the lead role of Rick Rescorla.
Tenor William Burden, who created the role of Gilbert Griffiths in the
world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An
American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera, is Rick Rescorla’s
best friend, Daniel J. Hill. Soprano Melody Moore,
a former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow portrays Susan, Rescorla’s
late-found love, wife and soul mate.
“For nearly a decade I have been hoping to commission an opera
from the brilliantly talented Christopher Theofanidis,”
stated San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley.
“When there finally was a window of opportunity at Houston Grand
Opera, I changed jobs and preliminary plans for Heart of a Soldier had
to be put on hold. Once in San Francisco, I felt the opportunity to
commission this work in observation of the tenth anniversary of the
tragic events of 9/11—and the commitment of Tom Hampson
to create the lead role—gave the project critical mass.
On the surface the piece is about what it takes to be a true hero, but
what will drive the music is the passion, the suspense and the ultimate
tragedy.”
Composer Christopher Theofanidis explains: “Donna
and I have spent time with Dan Hill and Susan Rescorla (Rick Rescorla’s
widow) and we are honored to be involved with this project. The fact
that it is a true story has made it very personal for both of us. This
is fundamentally a deeply humanistic work, with an emphasis on Rick
and Dan coming to understand who they are as people and then maximizing
their potential. The essence of this comes from a sense of service to
others and duty—the heart of a soldier. This nobility of spirit
is transformed in the arc of the opera from Vietnam, where it kept Rick
and Dan's troops together, to September 11th, when Rick went back into
a building he knew was going to fall. Another theme resonating throughout
the opera is how we honor and remember the dead, how we incorporate
them into our own hearts and come to grips with great loss.”
“When I read James Stewart's true story of an unsung hero of 9/11,
its epic themes of a warrior’s code of honor, intense bonds of
loyalty, late-found love and overwhelming tragedy struck me as extremely
theatrical,” said much-acclaimed stage director Francesca
Zambello. “It also takes up ideas and ideals, morals
and morality in the context of modern American lives. I have always
wanted to create an opera based on a real life story and was very gratified
when David Gockley agreed to develop this work with
me.”
Six additional performances will be presented through September 30
at the War Memorial Opera House. Francesca Zambello directs this world
premiere production and San Francisco Opera Principal Guest Conductor
Patrick Summers leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
The production team includes set designer Peter J. Davison, costume
designer Jess Goldstein, lighting designer Mark McCullough, projection
designer S. Katy Tucker, physical action director Rick Sordelet, choreographer
Lawrence Pech and Company chorus director Ian Robertson.
Performances: Sat 09/10/11 8:00pm; Tue 09/13/11 7:30pm;
Sun 09/18/11 2:00pm, Wed 09/21/11 7:30pm, Sat 09/24/11 2:00pm, Tue 09/27/11
8:00pm, Fri 09/30/11 8:00pm
Tickets: $21 to $389 and may be purchased at sfopera.com
or through the San Francisco Opera Box Office [301 Van Ness Avenue (at
Grove Street), or by phone at (415) 864-3330]. Standing Room tickets
go on sale at 10 a.m. on the day of each performance; tickets are $10
each, cash only.
Photo credit: Cory Weaver
Ancillary Events;
San Francisco Opera partners with the Jewish Community Center of San
Francisco, Litquake Festival, Grace Cathedral, the Commonwealth Club,
the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and the San Francisco Opera
Guild to present an array of panel discussions, lectures and special
events in conjunction with the Heart of a Soldier
premiere. Events include discussions with members of opera’s artistic
team, author James B. Stewart and Susan Rescorla about the creation
of the work and the motivations and challenges behind creating this
inspiring opera.
San Francisco Opera’s annual free Opera in the Park concert at
Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park, on Sunday, September 11 at 2 p.m.,
has been recognized as the City and County of San Francisco’s
civic observance commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September
11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.
Presented by the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Opera, with
the participation of the Office of the Mayor of San Francisco, the Honorable
Edwin M. Lee, in cooperation with the San Francisco Interfaith Council,
this year’s special Opera in the Park concert will honor the memory
of those who perished on 9/11 and celebrate the service and heroism
of the Bay Area’s first responders including firefighters, paramedics
and police, among others. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola
Luisotti will conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and
acclaimed soloists from the Company’s Fall 2011 Season in a concert
featuring Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, and inspirational works
by American composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and John Williams,
as well as music by Christopher Theofanidis. During the Mozart Requiem,
musical movements will be interspersed with meditational texts read
by members of the broad religious community that comprise the San Francisco
Interfaith Council. For more information, visit sfopera.com/oitp.
Below is a listing of the ancillary events that take place September
10-30.
Heart of a Soldier
Events
San Francisco Opera presents: Heart of a Soldier Pre-Opera
Talks:
September 10–30. Informative 25-minute talks, presented
by Jonathan Khuner, prepare audiences for a deeper, richer opera experience.
Pre-opera Talks begin 55 minutes before each Heart of a Soldier performance
and takes place in the Opera House auditorium. War Memorial Opera House.
FREE to opera ticket holders.
sfopera.com/operatalks
The Forum at Grace Cathedral presents Heart of a Soldier:
How one man’s bravery on September 11 became an opera.
Sunday, September 11, 9:30am. The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Shaw,
Dean of Grace Cathedral, will moderate a lively discussion with Susan
Rescorla and members of Heart of a Soldier creative team. Attend on
site at Grace Cathedral, or tune in to the live audio webcast or archived
recordings at gracecathedral.org/forum. 1100 California Street, San
Francisco. FREE and open to the public. (415) 749-6300 gracecathedral.org
San Francisco Chronicle presents San Francisco Opera in the
Park
Sunday, September 11, 2pm. Join in the City's civic observance
commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11. This free, special concert
will feature the Mozart Requiem and inspirational works by some of America's
great composers, including Christopher Theofanidis, composer of Heart
of a Soldier. Sharon Meadow, Golden Gate Park San Francisco.
FREE and open to the public. sfopera.com/oitp
The Commonwealth Club presents Heart of a Soldier: Honoring
Strength through Song with James Stewart
Tuesday, September 13, 6pm (5:30pm check-in)
We first heard the extraordinary story of Rick Rescorla, a
military veteran who led hundreds to safety in the 9/11 World Trade
Center attacks, in James Stewart’s 2002 book, Heart of a Soldier.
Nine years later, Rescorla’s heroism lives on in San Francisco
Opera’s commemorative production of the same name. Hear about
the project’s motivations and challenges from Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist James B. Stewart, composer Christopher Theofanidis, General
Director David Gockley and other members of the Heart of a Soldier creative
team. These behind-the-scenes experts will discuss their collaboration
and creation of this inspiring opera. SF Club Office / 595 Market Street,
2nd Floor; Cost: $20; $12 members; $7 students (with valid ID). (415)
597-6705
commonwealthclub.org
Opera on the Couch: A Post-Performance Discussion of Heart of
a Soldier
Sunday, September 18, 5pm Join other inquiring minds
for a lively post-performance discussion following the performance of
Heart of a Soldier. Members of San Francisco
Center for Psychoanalysis (SFCP) will discuss the opera's theme from
a psychoanalytic perspective. Books Inc., Opera Plaza, San Francisco.
FREE and open to the public. Complimentary light refreshments will be
offered.
Information/Photo Source: San Francisco Opera
|
