Soundtheater (Opera) Music & Libretto
Based on: "The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark" (Cir. 1600-1601) Commissioned by Joseph Papp
for the New York Shakespeare
Festival (198792) JOSEPH
PAPP REVIEW JOSEPH PAPP REVIEW "I have been familiar with Mr. Kievman’s work since 1978, when I produced his brilliantly innovative musical work for the theater, WAKE UP, IT’S TIME TO GO TO BED! I feel that Mr. Kievman ranks among the foremost modern composers in his understanding of both the components of musical composition and in the particular demands of a theatrical music work. Mr. Kievman has the somewhat rare ability to translate the dramatic and emotional contexts of his works to his audience in a powerful and profound way musically. This strong combination of Mr. Kievman’s innovative technical abilities as a composer with his powerful emotional and dramatic sense make him an artist very worthy of consideration for the Grawemeyer Award and I am pleased to sponsor the submission." "Words, words, words" How perfect they are, how naturally musical, deep, and complicated The words and Hamlet’s character transcend the story. I had been thinking about this play since I was a boy. In 1979, Joseph Papp offered a commission and requested that I apply my "Soundtheater" ideas to Hamlet. I did not feel ready to undertake such a project and I declined. Nonetheless, the idea remained with me and in 1987 I accepted the commission and began work. Tragically and ironically, during my years of preparing the libretto and working on the score, several important people (father figures) passed away, including Joe Leavitt, Luigi Nono, Olivier Messiaen and my own father! And in 1992, Joseph Papp died of cancer. I set the project aside, in sketch-like form, where it has remained ever since. Hamlet is about death of fathers. My intention is to create a Hamlet with the highest impact to contemporary audiences and yet to maintain a clear respect for Shakespeare’s genius. This Hamlet will be unpredictable, contradictory and piercing. The action takes place when a ‘medieval carnival’ visits the castle. The sense of Elsinore being on the border (and shore) of Denmark will hopefully evoke the excitement of mystery and instability cause by the constant questioning of what lies just across the border. Medieval rides will be going inside the castle gates. Hamlet will confront his fellow characters on various rides, including a merry-go-round, a house of horrors and a house of mirrors! My intentions are to create Hamlet primarily with actions and gripping music. The words, which are actually to be set and sung, are those that simply cannot be told adequately through physical action (Those words that invoke a philosophical, spiritual, or psychological concept). Interestingly enough, those words tend to be the famous dialogues and major soliloquies. I am attempting to have these vocal sections hold the opera together like pillars. Also I have attempted to combine dramatic scenes into simultaneous events which only through music can be clearly defined that way. For example Ophelia’s mad scene (Valentine’s Day) is combined with Hamlet’s fantastical tales of pirate ships and stealing off Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to have their heads cut off, along with Laertes storming the castle demanding justice for his father’s death. The words I have chosen to use are Shakespeare’s without any alteration. The rest of the opera should move forward through stage action and pure music, which expresses on its own terms ideas which Shakespeare meant to say with words Dramatis
Personae Claudius, King of Denmark - Hamlet, son to the late, and nephew to the present, King - Polonius, Lord Chamberlain - Horatio, friend to Hamlet - Laertes, son to Polonius - Voltemand - Cornelius - Rosencrantz courtiers - Guildenstern - Osric - A Gentleman - A Priest - Marcellus officers - Barnardo - Francisco, a soldier - Reynaldo, servant to Polonius - Players - Two Clowns, gravediggers - Fortinbras, Prince of Norway - A Norwegian Captain - English Ambassadors - Gertrude, Queen of Denmark, mother to Hamlet - Ophelia, daughter to Polonius - Ghost of Hamlet's father - Lords, Ladies, Officers, Soldiers, - Sailors, Messengers, Attendants Instrumentation: Flute, 2 Clarinets (dbl Bass Cl.), 2 Trumpets, Horn, 2 Percussion, Keyboard (Samplers & Piano), Strings Vocal
Specifications Baritone
w/ high falsetto or Dramatic Tenor: Hamlet ACT ONE Scene 1 a. Funeral March (Francisco, Barnardo, Horatio, Marcellus) Scene 2 a. Merry-Go-Round (Hamlet,
Horatio, Claudius, Gertrude) Scene 3 a. Subject To His Birth (Laertes, Ophelia) Scene 4 a. The King Doth Wake Tonight (Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus) Scene 5 a. Ghost (Ghost, Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus) ACT TWO Scene 1 a. Wild Behavior (Polonius, Reynaldo, Ophelia) Scene 2 a. Welcome Rosencrantz &
Guildenstern (Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius) ACT THREE Scene 1 a. To Be Or Not To Be (Hamlet,
Hamlet # 2) Scene 2 a. Speak The Speech (Hamlet,
1st Player King, Horatio) Scene 3 a. Forgive Me, My Foul Murder (Claudius, Hamlet) Scene 4 a. X-Rated (Gertrude, Hamlet, Ghost, Polonius) ACT FOUR Scene 1 a. Mad As The Sea And Wind (Gertrude, Claudius) Scene 2 a. The King Is A Thing (Hamlet, Guildenstern, Rosencrantz) Scene 3 a. Politic Worms (Claudius, Hamlet, Gertrude) Scene 4 a. Go Captain (Fortinbras,
Hamlet, Captain, Rosencrantz) Scene 5 a. Valentine's Day (Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Hamlet, Messenger, Laertes, Ensemble) - LISTEN TO LIVE SAMPLE FROM READING AT THE NYSF Scene 6 a. Pirates (Hamlet, Horatio) Scene 7 a. Naked Hamlet (Claudius, Laertes, Messenger, Hamlet) ACT FIVE Scene 1 a. Gravemaking (Gravemaker, Clown #1, Clown #2, Clown #3, Hamlet, Horatio, Priest, Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, Ensemble) Scene 2 a. The Readiness Is All (Hamlet, Horatio, Osric, Lord)
(c) 1989 Carson Kievman All Rights Reserved International Copyright Secured Printed in USA No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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