ANNOUNCING…. the world premiere recording of Curtis K. Hughes's opera about the 2008 Vice Presidential Debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden: "Say it Ain't So, Joe" (a light tragedy)
This chamber opera presents a surreal and fractured musical re-imagining of the debate, in which the original vocal utterances of the two candidates are harmonized and transformed into operatic melody, with fantastical digressions and glimpses of other contemporaneous events and personalities, including Hillary Clinton and Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher.
featuring the original cast of the 2009 premiere production by GUERILLA OPERA
"[a] cheerfully cracked mirror"
- Matthew Guerrieri, New Music Box
"The audience response was rapturous."
- Boston Musical Intelligencer
"Hughes's score... showed major chops and energy"
- Keith Powers, The Boston Herald
Special thanks to John and Linda Fischer, Rudolf Rojahn, Julia Noulin-Merat, Nathan Troup, Andy Vores, Marti Epstein, Tim Gillette, and all the backers of the Kickstarter drive that helped to fund this recording project.
Credits:
released 3 January 2012
Cauchemar Records CD 003
Say it Ain't So Joe - a light tragedy
chamber opera by Curtis K. Hughes
text adapted from public records, with additions by Curtis K. Hughes
copyright 2009, 2011 Feverish Nightmare Productions (ASCAP)
All rights reserved.
Recorded at the Union Congregational Chuch in Hebron, NH, June 2-3, 2011, with additional recording in Watertown, MA in August 2011.
Produced by Curtis K. Hughes
Joel Gordon - recording and editing, assisted by Ben Bloomberg and Livia Lin
featuring Guerilla Opera:
Jennifer Ashe - Sarah Palin (1)
Brian Church - Joe Biden, Joe "the Plumber" Wurzelbacher
Aliana de la Guardia - Sarah Palin (2), Diane Sawyer
Amanda Keil - interviewer, Gwen Ifill, Hillary Clinton
Rane Moore - clarinets
Kent O'Doherty - saxophones
Mike Williams - percussion
Jing Li - cello
conducted by Jeffrey Means
Graphic Design by Christine Southworth.
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