LISTENING POST: ‘It’s alive!’
It’s a live performance of a new score for Frankenstein (1931) by The Atlanta Opera
“Now I know what it feels like to be God!” – Dr. Henry Frankenstein
In 2001, Michael Shapiro was commissioned by The Chappaqua Orchestra’s Boris Koutzen Memorial Fund to write a score for the 1931 classic horror film Frankenstein. The world premiere of the combined film with live orchestra occurred in 2002 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Jacob Burns Film Center in New York. Since then, more than 50 productions of Frankenstein with Shapiro’s music have been mounted worldwide.
On October 28, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, The Atlanta Opera will present an exclusive one-night only Halloween screening of Frankenstein accompanied by a live performance of Shapiro’s score by the Atlanta Opera orchestra with singers and with Shapiro conducting. In keeping with the occasion, attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and be prepared to do The Monster Mash.
“We’re having fun with our ‘thriller’-themed fall season,” says Tomer Zvulun, General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera.
The-fall-season•of-The-Atlanta•Opera-opened-Sep. 15 with the first of three. productions, the•East Cost-premiere of The-Shining-at the•Alliance• Theatre. Based-on•the-Stephen•King-novel•with•music-by-Paul•Moravec and•libretto by Mark Campbell, this-co-presentation-by-The•Atlanta•Opera•and•the Alliance-Theatre-was-directed-by•multimedia,-immersive-experience director-Brian-Staufenbiel, with a cast that spanned-both-artistic-companies.
After Frankenstein, The Atlanta Opera 2023 season concludes with Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto (tickets: Sat., Nov. 4-Sun., Nov. 12). Zvulun directs this production of Verdi’s classic opera, which roils and bubbles with twisted characters, malevolent manipulations, manic action and moral turpitude. Metropolitan Opera favorite baritone George Gagnidze sings the title role, joined by Korean tenor Won Whi Choi as the Duke of Manua and soprano (and Macon native) Jasmine Habersham as Gilda.
The hybrid film-opera version of Frankenstein represents a number of “firsts” for The Atlanta Opera. Says Zvulun, “It’s the first time we have offered a Hollywood movie with a live music score, especially one written as an opera, and the first time our very own, brand new Studio Artists will perform together this season.”
Universally recognized as an outstanding cinematic achievement, Carl Laemmle’s 1931 production of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale and stars Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as The Monster, In 1991, the U.S. Library of Congress selected Frankenstein for preservation in the National Film Registry as a “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” work. The American Film Institute ranks the movie 87thon its list of 100 Greatest American Films.
Nearly a century after its release, Frankenstein remains an extraordinarily prescient, stylistically visceral horror film. The film’s multi-authored script was adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which was based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Through Whale’s lens, the movie focuses on a macabre fable about the dualistic nature of science and the propensity for humans to discard their humanity under certain pressurized conditions.
So far, the only preview of the film-opera version of Frankenstein officially released to the public is a recording of the Overture. Animated by darkly energetic strings, winds and horns, the orchestra surges with cyclonic force, swaying and undulating with barely constrained momentum, undergirded by thunderous percussion. Like the 1931 film’s spoken introduction, delivered by American actor Edward Van Sloan who plays Dr. Waldman, Henry Frankenstein’s mentor and one of The Monster’s early victims, Shapiro’s music serves as an eerily enticing glimpse of what’s to come:
“We’re about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science, who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation: life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So, if any of you feel that you would not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now’s your chance to — well, we’ve warned you.”
The Atlanta Opera’s production of Frankenstein at Cobb Energy Center marks the East Coast premiere of the work, which includes a libretto drawn from the Latin Requiem Mass. The Los Angeles Opera gave the work its world premiere this past October. In Atlanta, the Halloween presentation of Frankenstein includes an exclusive mystery component, which Shapiro dangled like a surprise treat during a recent phone interview.
Listening Post: Given the iconographic structure and cult status of the 1931 Frankenstein film, how did you approach the project?
Michael Shapiro: The original film is kind of creaky because it doesn’t have a score that matches with the talking dialogue; this was before they had figured out the technology to do it right. My score supports the film as if it’s a one-act opera. The music moves the characters across the film stages based on what they’re feeling and doing.
The film opens with a burial scene. There’s some talking and murmuring. At first, the audience is aware of the live orchestra and singers. But then, after about five minutes, a kind of a magic happens. The audience forgets about the live performers and takes it all in as one artistic experience. In essence, this is a new artistic form. Other people have done scores for silent movies, such as Metropolis, but nobody has really done what I did.
What about the score composed by Philip Glass for the 1930 version of Dracula?
Philip is a friend of mine and I admire his work. But the score for Dracula, which he wrote for Kronos Quartet, is infused with his style. I don’t think it really portrays what’s going on in the film. Instead, it mostly stands out as a Philip Glass score. My composition is a full, through-composed, film score, which means it tracks the onscreen action second-by-second.
How do the voices, in this case provided by The Atlanta Opera Studio Artists, play into the score?
When I began thinking about the opera version for Los Angeles, I was looking for a libretto. But, then, I said to myself, “Wait a minute. This is an English talking film. If you have people singing ‘Yes! He’s alive!’ in English, it’s going to be campy and stupid.
But then, I thought, the movie is about resurrection. It starts with a burial scene presided over by a priest speaking a pig Latin version of the Requiem Mass. I love the Requiem and have conducted many of them. So, in Frankenstein, I use chord structures and Latin vocal parts, which are inspired by the Requiem Mass.
Since 2002, you have produced different versions of the Frankenstein score, for chamber orchestra, full orchestra, wind ensemble and the operatic version. How has the music developed over time and with experience?
For the initial premier with the Chappaqua Hall Orchestra, we did two shows, which were very well received, but I wasn’t satisfied. We took it on the road with me just playing electronic keyboard. Eventually, I cut and slashed and made the score into the hard thing it is now.
Will the Atlanta Opera version be the same as the Los Angeles premiere?
MS: Sort of. At the end of the movie, when the Monster is killed — at least the villagers think he’s killed — and the windmill is burning up on the hill, Whale shows a close-up of the windmill, then pulls away. We freeze the movie on that scene, then the singers stand up and sing “in Paradisum” [into Paradise], which is a section of the Requiem, with the orchestra very quietly playing. For the Atlanta performance, we’re going to do something special during that section, which I can’t tell you more about, except that it’s going to be spectacular. —CL—
Frankenstein — $30-$100. 8 p.m. Oct. 2. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy, Atlanta, 30339. (770) 916-2800
Rigolleto — Sat., Nov. 4, 8:00 p.m.; Tues., Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m.; Fri., Nov. 10, 8:00 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 12, 1:30 p.m. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Pkwy, Atlanta, 30339. (770) 916-2800.
Upcoming events
Thu., Oct. 5 and Sat. Oct. 7
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Hall — The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra opens its 2023-24 season with maestro Nathalie Stutzmann conducting music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Overture from The Queen of Spades, Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Symphony No. 4) and the debut of harpist Xavier de Maistre playing the recently discovered 1939 Harp Concerto by Alexander Mosolov.
$38-$140+. 8 p.m. Thu., Mar. 16 and Sat. Mar. 18. Atlanta Symphony Hall, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, 30309. aso.org
Fri., Oct. 6
Aileen Loy Art Exhibition, First Existentialist Congregation — Opening reception for a month-long exhibit of assemblage and textile works by Aileen Loy. Funds from art sales benefit Loy’s Banned Bookmobile project and Little Free Contentious Libraries. Opening night festivities include music by Ana Balka and Brian Halloran performing on cello, violin, guitar and vocal effects.
Free. 6 p.m. First Existentialist Congregation, 470 Candler Park Dr.Atlanta, 30307 404-378-5570 firstexistentialist.org Facebook event.
Sat., Oct. 7
Impressions: Music & Art at Kai Lin Art — The Emory Chamber Music Society presents an evening of Music & Art at Kai Lin Art Gallery Sat., Oct. The program features Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite for piano four-hands performed by gallery owner Yu-Kai Lin and William Ransom along with the French composer’s String Quartet performed by the Vega Quartet.
Free with registration. 8 p.m. Kai Lin Art, Suite 7, 999 Brady Avenue NW, Atlanta, 30318. (404) 408-4248. kailinart.com
Silver Scream Spook Show, Plaza Theater — Horror film fans of all ages will howl with delight at The Silver Scream Spook Show, a 30-minute live stage show filled with magic tricks, dancing girls, jokes, spectacle and frights. This October edition of the SSSS at Plaza Theatre Atlanta serves as prelude to a screening of Bride of the Monster, Ed Wood’s immortally awful sci-fi/horror tale starring Bela Lugosi in his final talking film role as a mad doctor hellbent on creating a race of atomic supermen.
$10 children under 12; $15 adults. Sat. matinee doors at 1 p.m.; evening show 10 p.m. Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce DeLeon Ave NE, Atlanta, 30306. (470) 410-1939. plazaatlanta.com Facebook event.
Sun., Oct. 8
Concerts at First: A Night at the Opera, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta— The second event of the 2023-24 “Concerts at First” season features Marietta native and opera star soprano Maria Valdes along with tenor Christopher Bozeka in a Sunday (Oct. 8) matinee program of operatic favorites and classical musical theater.
$20; $15 for FPC members and seniors; students free with ID. Co-presented with Atlanta Opera Guild. First Presbyterian Church of Atlants, 1328 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, 30309, (404) 228-7753, (404) 892-8461. www.concertsatfirst.org firstpresatl.org
Sat., Oct. 14
Gold Sparkle Band, eyedrum — Get set for free jazz mania when Gold Sparkle Band headlines eyedrum’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Sat., Oct. 14. Formed nearly 30 years ago in Atlanta, Gold Sparkle Band will perform two sets of original compositions and improvisatory exultations. The first set features the Gold Sparkle Quartet with Charles Waters (reeds), Andrew Barker (drums), Roger Ruzow (trumpet), and Chris Riggenbach (bass). Set 2 stars the Gold Sparkle Big Band featuring Waters, Barker, Ruzow, and Riggenbach joined by Ben Davis (sax), Robbie Hunsinger (oboe/sax), Jason Casanova (euphonium) and Chris Case (piano). Atlanta’s own inimitable guitar duo FLAP open the proceedings with their non-linear picking and thrumming shenanigans.
$15. 8 p.m. eyedrum, 515 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW, Atlanta, 30312. www.eyedrum.org Facebook event.
Thu., Oct. 19 and Sat., Oct. 21
Folk Tales, Ragas and Lost Love, Atlanta Symphony Hall — The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra welcomes the debut of Russian conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, music director of the Chicago Opera Theater, as she leads the ASO in the suite from Prokofiev’s ballet masterpiece Romeo and Juliet. The program also includes Amjad Ali Khan’s Samaagam, featuring Khan, master of the sarod, and his family of acclaimed artists from the Indian classical music tradition. The concert opens with Gabriela Lena Frank’s Elegía Andina, a stirring work that mixes Peruvian folk song with contemporary sounds to highlight the composer’s multicultural heritage.
$36-$121. 8 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, 30309. 404-733-4800. www.aso.org.
Sat., Oct. 21
Visions of India Festival, Atlanta Symphony Hall — The Visions of India Festival is a free event at Symphony Hall featuring Indian cuisine, dance performances, an art display and henna artist stations.
Free. 5-8 p.m. Atlanta Symphony Hall, 1280 Peachtree Street. 404-733-4800. www.aso.org. Facebook event
From Bach to Brahms: Double Bassist Nina Bernat at Morningside Presbyterian Church — The Nancy Frampton Rising Artists Series welcomes double bassist Nina Bernat, who will be making her Atlanta debut on Sat., Oct. 21 at Morningside Presbyterian Church At 23 years old, next year Bernat will begin a three-year residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program, which selects five solo artists from around the world. Bernat’s program in Atlanta includes J.S. Bach’s Suite No. 6., Prokofiev’s Five Melodies, Brahms’ Cello Sonata in E minor and Gliere’s Intermezzo and Tarantella. Bernat designed the program to explore the vocal aspects of the bass and to showcase the instrument in an unusual starring role.
$10-$100. 7 p.m. Morningside Presbyterian Church, 1411 North Morningside Drive NE, Atlanta, 30306. (404) 876-7396. Rising Artists series morningsidepc.org
Sun., Oct. 22
Choir Vocati, First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta — Atlanta-based chamber choir Coro Vocati launches its 2023-2024 season on Sun., Oct. 22, at First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta with a performance of Craig Hella Johnson’s acclaimed oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard. An emotionally gripping musical journey, this special work commemorates the life and legacy of Matthew Shepard whose tragic death on October 12, 1998, shocked the world and led to the creation of The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
$25 general admission; $15 students. 3 p.m. First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, 1328 Peachtree St. NE. Atlanta, 30309, (404) 228-7753, (404) 892-8461. firstpresatl.org corovocati.org
Fri., Oct. 27
52 Pickup Ensemble, First Existentialist Congregation — Jeff Crompton premieres “Ensemble 52 Pickup,” the latest in a series of “index card” works by the prolific Atlanta sax player and composer. On Oct. 27 at the First Existentialist Congregation in Candler Park, Crompton will conduct a seven-piece ensemble comprising some of Atlanta’s finest improvisers: Katherine Young (bassoon), Sandy Wade (clarinet), Ben Davis (tenor sax), David Gray (guitar), Paul Stevens (vibraphone), Chip Epsten (violin) and Benjamin Shirley (cello). According to the composer, “Ensemble 52 Pickup” combines composition and improvisation “to invoke a dream-like atmosphere.” The second half of the concert will feature groupings of musicians performing smaller-scale improvisations.
$10 door. 8 p.m. First Existentialist Congregation, 470 Candler Park Dr. Atlanta, 30307 404-378-5570 firstexistentialist.org