This Lingering Life portrays the intricate network of relationships formed by souls moving between worlds of the dead and living. It draws inspiration from seven Japanese Noh dramas. The libretto, by Mark Campbell and Chiori Miyagawa, based on Ms. Miyagawa’s play of the same name, traverses centuries and continents. It interweaves stories of feudal warriors, a crazed mother whose son was kidnapped, dead lovers who reunite on a bridge across the Milky Way, a lonely old gardener infatuated with a teenage princess, a gossipy small town (with a character named Gossip) and The Woman With Tragic Hair who travels through the stories, seeking her fate. Mark Campbell summarizes, “The ultimate message is that the deeds we do in our lives—good or bad—extend beyond the lengths of our lives and the limits of our geography.”
I am now composing the music to this witty and soulful libretto, fusing Western and Eastern instruments into an ensemble that will support seven singers. We are searching for a commission to complete the opera, and for a venue and production. For more information, please contact me. A few lines from the libretto:
GIRL IN LOVE:
Dear Priest,
Are you here to you help us?
PRIEST:
I will say a prayer for your souls.
BOY IN LOVE:
What happens to lovers like us
Torn apart in life?
PRIEST:
You are trapped in anger.
Free your spirit and leave this place.
Such lovers can meet once a year
When a bridge appears across the river.
A bridge called the Milky Way.