Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats: Transition #3: Lullaby. Happy New Year. Philip Glass. Tchaikovsky. I can breathe again. Moving Scenery. It’s not OK to be cranky?

Roger CortonHappy New Year!

JC HarrisBack at ya. What did you think of the latest Snippet?

Transition #3: Lullaby (Snippet)

RCWell, in all honesty…

JCHNo. Lie to me! I never get tired of that joke. Even during the holidays.

RCI bet you don’t. In all honesty, I thought this was your attempt at doing a Christmas card soundtrack (laughs).

JCH(laughs) I know exactly what you mean. But it’s too off-kilter for that.

RCI was going to mention that. What time signature is this?

JCHPlan ol’ four on the floor, good buddy.

RCReally?

JCHSure. It’s just that your ear so desperately wants it to be a waltz, it does something to the brain. When the rhythm section kicks in, there are […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats: Fallen Leaves. Post Turkey. Led Zeppelin III. Sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s all about frustration. Are we there yet? Turning in the keys. Alternative Opera Showcases. Health update. St. Christopher.

Roger CortonA rockin’ snippet. This sure doesn’t sound like no stinkin’ opera to me.

Fallen Leaves (Snippet)

JC HarrisIt sure doesn’t.

RCHow come? I mean. Won’t it stick out like a sore thumb?

JCHI think that’s a good observation. As I’ve ranted many times, the last thing I want is to create the impression that the orchestra is just slapped on to the end of a rock band. Hopefully, just the one aria won’t take listeners out of the whole experience. But it’s a risk.

RCSo why even take the risk? Why does the opera need to sound like Led Zeppelin III?

JCHAnother good question. You’re just FULL of good questions today, sonny! And […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats: Australia. The Godfather. Nostalgia. Jigsaw puzzles. Intimate boots. Kids and operas change you when you think you’re changing them. Stage-swearing.

Roger CortonAnother week? Another slow snippet–like last week.

Australia (Snippet)

JC HarrisAnd yet another country!

RCIndeed. So what’s the story this time?

JCHWell, as with Canada, this is another of the three boys thinking about where he’s thinking of going now that the fishery is shut down. But in this case, it’s a duet; he’s sharing the bad news with his fiancé.

RCAnd she’s not taking it well.

JCHNope. Despite all the hardships of being a fisherman’s wife, one could always count on the guy being constant. She feels like he’s just pulled the rug out from under her. It’s not just that he’s thinking about leaving, it’s the fact that she never even knew he’d thought about Australia before. She really thought she knew the […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats: Canada. Method acting. Self-care. Healing broken bones when yer older. The Dorothy Problem. Glinda The Good Witch.

Roger CortonI’m sounding like a broken record, but here is yet another new snippet. Quite a change from last time.

Canada (Snippet)

JC HarrisYes, sir.

RCOK, go!

JCHGo where?

RCGo! Tell me about the song. Duuuh.

JCHOh. Right. So we know that the three sons will eventually decide to leave for America, Australia and Canada respectively. And they’re each thinking about it even as the who ‘rebellion’ is going on.

RCBut they don’t want to tell anyone and come off as though they aren’t one hundred percent behind the revolt, right?

JCHRight. As I keep hammering in, every main character in an opera gets at least one aria which tells you something about their inner life. So each of the boys’ aria is them musing about […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats: To The Bank. Puns. Irish Rebellions, Ballintubber, Shakespeare. Chorus. Henry V. More on recitative v. aria. The fortunes of campaigning for office. Kick Drum. Dropping Bombs. Bill Bruford.

Roger CortonAnother new snippet. Marching right along.

To The Bank (Snippet)

JC HarrisYou’re such a punster.

RCNot really. So what’s the story?

JCHWell actually, the title is one big pun.

RCI think I get the pun. In the beginning you talk of a river bank, but at the end they marching to a bank where the money is kept.

JCHYes. The story is, again, one of those ‘truths’ I keep talking about. This didn’t literally happen, but it could’ve happened. All the captains and crew are sitting in the bar after the first day of the auction feeling pretty helpless. And one old guy has the nerve to chastise them for taking it all lying down. […]