Iphigenia (opera)

Iphigenia[1][2] is a jazz opera composed by Wayne Shorter with a libretto by Esperanza Spalding based on the mythological figure Iphigenia. The opera was premiered on November 12, 2021, at ArtsEmerson in Boston, Massachusetts, led by the conductor Clark Rundell and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz; the set design was by Frank Gehry.[3] According to Spalding, the opera needed revisions at the time of its premiere.[4] The libretto was written by Spalding, with additional writing by Joy Harjo, Safiya Sinclair, and Ganavya Doraiswamy.[5]

For the Greek play by Euripides, see Iphigenia in Aulis. For the Greek mythological figure, see Iphigenia. For all other uses, see Iphigenia (disambiguation).
Sacrifice of Iphigenia (c.1690), Arnold Houbraken

Shorter was 88 years old at the time of composing the work.[3]

Story

In Iphigenia in Aulis, as written by Euripides, the fate of Iphigenia is ambiguous. Iphigenia is sacrificed in order to appease the goddess Artemis to send favourable winds to allow her father Agamemnon's fleet to sail to Troy in the Trojan War. In Spalding's telling, Iphigenia is manifested in five forms, each with their own story.[3]

Instrumentation

The opera features a 28-instrument chamber ensemble.[6]

References
  1. "About + Tour". iphigenia.live. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  2. Russonello, Giovanni (2021-11-02). "How Esperanza Spalding and Wayne Shorter Realized His Dream: an Opera". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  3. Swed, Mark (2022-02-21). "Review: Iphigenia, the Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding way". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  4. "Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding crack open the old world in new opera". WBGO. 2021-12-10. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
  5. Brodeur, Michael Andor (2021-12-11). "Review: '. . . (Iphigenia)' is an opera in the form of a question". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  6. Ginell, Richard S. (2022-02-21). "Jazz Icon Shorter's New Opera on Iphigenia Is More than a Little Iffy". Classical Voice North America. Retrieved 2023-04-23.
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