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Appomattox, An opera composed by Philip Glass with Libretto by
Christopher Hampton.
Presented by the Washington National Opera, at the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts, Monday November 16, 2015
By Rabbi Arnold Saltzman
You might ask why I am interested in opera? Is that what a rabbi should be
talking about? As a child singer in NYC, I attended an Orthodox Yeshiva during
the day, where we studied Jewish BIble, Prophets, Talmud, and Hebrew
language for three hours six days a week. In the evening, I sang at the
Metropolitan Opera in the Children’s Chorus, working with the great conductors,
singers, designers, directors. I sang in Tosca, Boris Godunov, Turandot, La
Gioconda, Wozzeck, and other operas. Some of you may have seen me in the
old Met. During the day I was in Yeshiva, and in the evening, the Metropolitan
Opera.
I mentioned to my son, Michael, that I was reading the biography of Philip Glass
and he commented: What’s that like, dad? The same thing on every page?
Michael is very witty!
In writing about this opera by Philip Glass, I did several things in order to
prepare. I admit that overall, until recently I was not a fan of Philip Glass’ music.
His work is frequently referred to as ‘Minimalist’ although in his biography he
denies that it fits any category. Minimalism is a type of music which is extremely
repetitive, so much so that when there is an harmonic change, one expresses
relief that finally the endless chord is over and the real music is beginning.
This music as well as Glass’ music is influenced by rhythmic patterns of
India, and Asian concepts of music which are strange to most Westerners.
Glass in his early years collaborated with Ravi Shankar in Paris, and prior
to that he studied in Juilliard in NYC where he collaborated with Peter
Schickele, better known as P.D.Q. Bach. Glass hails from Baltimore where
his father owned a record store,(remember those?) and he had access to
listening to all the classical music as well as everything else which was
offered. Overall he seems to be a secular Jewish man without apology.
While in Paris Glass he studied with the Nadia Boulanger, the teacher of
composers: Menotti, Copland, and now Glass. Her students are the ‘whose
who’ of music for most of the 20th century. Glass has made a reputation on
exploring contemporary themes such ‘Einstein on the Beach’. His film work
has earned him three academy award nominations including, ‘The Hours’,
and I personally recommend his movie score for ‘The Illusionist’ which was
a turning point for me in finding his music moving and enjoyable. Some of
you may know the movie ‘The Truman Show’, again with a score by Glass.
Appomattox, a compelling and majestic new American opera with music by
Philip Glass and libretto by Christopher Hampton, recently given its world
premiere by the Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts. Appomattox, a compelling music drama which
sings America in a discord.
This ‘break out’ work for the 78 year old composer of 27 operas, and the
best known minimalist composer of our time, is filled with beautiful arias,
ensembles and chorus. Combining both the end of the Civil War with the
surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant at
Appomattox Court House, and the last days of the the Lincoln presidency,
the opera moves in its second act to the events surrounding the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, one hundred years later.
The Civil War saw the participation of about 10,000 Jewish soldiers. Fully
American, Jews fought for their country, and made an invaluable
contribution to ending the war. As an aside, I was reminded by the
presence of General Grant, that during the Civil War he issued the
infamous General Order No.11 expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi
and Kentucky. Protests caused Lincoln to overturn this order, and many
years later a repentant President Grant attended the dedication of Adas
Israel in Washington, DC making a donation to demonstrate his contrition
and sincerity.
Part of the opera’s narrative focuses on the deaths of Schwerner,
Goodman, and Chaney, the three civil rights workers who were murdered
while working in Mississippi by KKK members. These murders and others
are a significant part of history as well as the opera’s libretto, reminding us
of the shared dreams of Jews and African Americans during that time. As
an aside this is directly tied to our guest speaker next month, Dr. Elisabeth
Rappaport who as a high school student participated in the ‘March on
Selma’.
In this opera, composer Glass returns to musical sources of the Civil War
period, ‘We’re Tenting Tonight’, and allows this music to proceed in its
natural form, yet accompanied by Glass’s unique palette of harmonies and
progressions. This is both stunning musically and moving to listen to, as
weary and diverse soldiers of the Civil War open the opera singing in
chorus in place of an overture in one of many memorable moments.
Glass is associated with endless repetition, yet here there was never a
sense of that endless arpeggio. The composer demonstrated a new
comfort level in writing opera, and clearly he can write lyrically, being able
to set any text. The plot or absence of a plot is used to good effect. Instead
the narrative is based on the idea of character importance and proximity to
the important character: Lincoln, Grant, Lee, Dr. King, LBJ, Mary Lincoln,
Coretta Scott King...
History on the stage can be static, and there a number of ‘telling the story’
moments which are not effective and unnecessary. Yet, the drama of this
powerful history is nothing less than a whirlwind we are swept into, the
most powerful moments in American history, reborn in the setting of
Washington, DC.
The overarching effect of this opera is brilliant, in that we have this history
fleshed out and given an inner light, the light of a Rembrandt, but with
music providing that light, making each character come to life, confronting
us with this defining and troubling history of America.
For Americans, I cannot think of a more important subject which is well
suited to opera. At the same time this is painful as historic memory. We are
ennobled with this legacy which enlightens us while reminding us that we
are still struggling to come to terms with these very themes in our time.
In these past days, tremendous racial tension exists in Baltimore as the trial
of a Police officer ended in a ‘hung jury.’ In the street there was a cry of ‘no
justice’. Yet, the family of Freddy Grey said the jury did the best the could,
and they had confidence that eventually there would be justice. The Mayor
was prepared with police in riot gear, yet the demonstrators and
disappointment never turned on the neighborhood and innocent civilians as
it had earlier this year.
I had to wonder about the insight into these historic themes by Philip Glass,
an American composer and a British librettist, Christopher Hampton. This
was balanced by the direction of Tazewell Thomson who set just the right
emphasis in staging by allowing the power of both the visual and musical to
speak without ever being covered. Director Thompson gave the work
authenticity by bringing his passion for the subject, as he is a 10th
generation descendant of slaves, who is now an internationally recognized
director of opera.
In the United States there have been a number of deaths, incidents of
brutality, demonstrations, riots, and a general raising of the tension with
regard to racism and inequality.
Statistics indicate that African American men are going to prison for crimes
more often, far more often than Caucasian males who commit the same
crimes. There is a sense of inadequate legal representation by cities that
do not take their responsibility to provide adequate legal assistance to
those who cannot afford the best legal assistance. The public perceives
that politics continue to play a role in this imbalance.
An opera whose subject is telling us that the Civil War and Civil Rights are
part of a continuing line of historic wrongs, draws our attention in the arts to
what we already know. As rabbi, I have made this year one in which I will
continue to focus on this theme. How will we change? Can it ever be
changed?
Can we reach the next generation of young men and women in order to
make sure that they have the hope and opportunity to change the terrible
cycle in which too many find themselves trapped: Poverty, Segregation,
Profiling, Historic Wrongs.
One final note, the program had a pictorial history of the Civil Rights
Movement, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Montgomery
marching with Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. That is an image we
should remember so that we can be guided by those who sought justice
marching across a bridge linked together arm in arm.
Shabbat Shalom!