Hadestown

admin — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Before reviewing the album, I have to admit, Ani Difranco and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, who are both major contributors to the project, definitely rake up the most counts on my iTunes top played lists. Bias.

That said however, Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera Hadestown is a masterful album in its own right, originally beginning in 2006 as a live show that toured New England with a cast of twenty-two performers. The show, and now complete album, is an impressive Americana retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice that evokes a feel of Depression-era America and a doomed future in which all desperately seek to preserve their power, freedom, and riches.

Researching the mythical story a bit so I could understand the compelling narration of the album, I found that it is a love story about Orpheus, a poet who swayed Hades with his beautiful music to bring back his beloved Eurydice from the underworld. As I already alluded to, Mitchell’s ambitious, bold, fourth album is a collaborative project, with the lead singer of Bon Iver as Orpheus (my all-time favorite), Ani DiFranco as Persephone (the strong-willed wife of Hades), Greg Brown as Hades ("king of the kingdom of dirt") and Mitchell as Eurydice, the beautiful young woman seduced into Hades' underworld.

"I recognized in the Orpheus character something a lot of artists feel: his heartbreaking optimism," observes Mitchell. "In the underworld, the rules are the rules, you don’t get a dead person back—but Orpheus believes if he can just sing/play/write something beautiful enough, maybe he can do the impossible, move the heart of stone, get through to someone. I've felt that feeling..." And alas, an incredible album is born, complete with human emotion, social commentary, and an incredibly impressive artistic collaboration.

In general, the lovely Vermont singer-songwriter has a unique, eclectic style all her own, but has definitely been influenced by "the earthiness of Shawn Colvin, the child-like bite of Joanna Newsom, and the urban jumpiness of Ani DiFranco." As this reviewer continues, "These elements, as disparate as they might seem, come together as nicely as cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg" (Margaret Reges, Allmusic.com). In January 2008, I was actually lucky enough to see Mitchell play shortly after she was taken up by Difranco’s Righteous Babe Records, opening a show for the extraordinary anti-folk goddess herself.

Back to the album, Hadestown is definitely the most creative, inspired folk album I have heard in the past couple years, bringing a fresh perspective to the mythic tradition and timeless themes of power, love and desperation. Listen—to the feature on NPR or buy it—but listen to it all the way through. Even if the Americana style generally doesn’t appeal to you, and I admit it normally doesn’t for me, the inspired and compelling narration, craft, and featured artists on the album come together and truly form something magical.

Written by: Abigail Chance, May 28th 2010

Challenges: A Memoir of My Life in Opera

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 10:17:00 +0000

By Sarah Caldwell

Wesleyan University Press

In Challenges: A Memoir of My Life in Opera, Sarah Caldwell, the first woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera, relates intimate stories about her experiences as a director and conductor of this dramatic art form. From a series of interviews planned and orchestrated by Caldwell, she and Rebecca Matlock have created an intimate, cozy memoir.

The passages written by Matlock include interesting personal details about Caldwell. For instance, her home has heated concrete floors and acoustic adaptations designed to allow her to listen to auditioned works at home. We also learn of Caldwell’s graduation from high school at age twelve.

The greater portion of the book features transcriptions of interviews with Caldwell who breezes through tales of opera house money woes and the sleights of hand performed to raise funds. When Caldwell speaks of challenges, she is referring to the challenge of creating dynamic performances. We learn about her devotion to an art form where the question of how to enhance even a reliable classic such as Aida involves the love of the process of creating, as much as the final result.

Opera fans who have not yet come across this book will enjoy the conversational tone that is not overly weighed down by details of production dates, plot explanations, or the dreary “facts” found in some memoirs. For those with an interest in the theatre, this is a rich exploration into the mindset of a bright, motivated expert in her field. Even those are put off by opera will enjoy Sarah dishing the dirt the world over from Boston to Mexico to the Philippines.

This is worthy opportunity to hear great stories from someone who has excelled in her chosen and beloved field.

Written by: Cheryl Ellis, March 8th 2009