Crescent City
Crescent City
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8 singers: lyric coloratura soprano, lyric soprano, dramatic mezzo, contralto, dramatic tenor, lyric tenor, tenor, bass-baritone
2 male actors; 8 actors/dancers (optional)
chamber orchestra (18 players): 1.(d picc, alto fl) 1.(d fl, bs cl, bari sax) + bs cl (d cl in Bb, cl in Eb, sopr and ten sax) 0.0.-0.1.1.(d bs trb)1.-perc(2)-elec gt-pn (d celesta)-accordion (d synth, chromelodeon)-musical saw-laptop (for fixed audio)-strings (1.1.1.1.1. players)
Libretto by Douglas Kearney
commissioned by The Industry
duration: 2 hours
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Crescent City tells a kaleidoscopic tale of a fictional city barely functioning after one hurricane and now threatened by another. The supernatural figure of legendary voodoo queen Marie Laveau emerges from her tomb to try and save the city from annihilation, while marauding revelers celebrate an apocalyptic final party as the world comes to an end. The hallucinatory musical colors extend beyond conventional opera with electronica, non-traditional vocal techniques, and experimental jazz. Crescent City was produced by The Industry, with a run of twelve performances in Los Angeles, and directed by Yuval Sharon.
---Anne LeBaron