Art World
Preview the ‘Impressionistic’ Steve Jobs Opera at the Guggenheim
The museum presents excerpts two months before the opera premiers in Santa Fe.
Alyssa Buffenstein
Share This Article
An opera is in the works about the life of Apple visionary Steve Jobs, and the Guggenheim museum will be the first to premiere some of its excerpts.
On April 9 and 10, 2017, a handful of New Yorkers will have the chance to hear from composer Mason Bates, librettist Mark Campbell, and director Kevin Newbury about what it was like to write an opera about the man who put an iPhone in the hands of more than 101 million Americans.
It’s part of the museum’s Works & Process series, which presents performances by and conversations with creators of theater, opera, dance, and musical works. The creators of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” will be present at the Guggenheim’s intimate Peter B. Lewis Theater, which seats 285 audience members, for a moderated conversation.
Additionally, musical excerpts from the opera, which Bates described to the Wall Street Journal as an “impressionistic portrait” of the late Apple founder, will be performed.
According to the composer’s website, the opera, which premieres at the Santa Fe Opera in July 2017, is a “kinetic and emotional exploration of one of the most compelling figures of our time,” “animated by innovative storytelling on all levels, from an electro-acoustic score to a non-linear narrative to stunning visual effects.”
The Santa Fe Opera notes the work will explore Jobs’s “spiritual evolution…as he discovers the universe beyond technology within himself.” It stars baritone Edward Parks and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke as Steve and Laurene Powell Jobs.
Usually, the Guggenheim’s Works & Process events are one-night-only, but the museum already anticipates high demand, so it pre-emptively added a second night. Tickets for the event go on sale on December 15, and run $40 for the general public, and $35 for Guggenheim members.
Article topics
Related Articles
-
