Here's an insightful article about Tod Machover in the October issue of Opera News. Written by Philip Kennicott, Pulitzer prize-winning critic for the Washington Post, the article delves into the evolution of the music and gets to the heart of what the operas are about. Refreshing! Some great quotes: "…Machover, voluble and friendly in person, confounds expectations. Valis, …
Resurrection: Act 1 Scene 1, “Is this a dream?”
Resurrection captures an unusual love story between Prince Nekhlyudov (Scott Hendricks) and the serving girl Maslova (Joyce DiDonato). Though divided by class, their fates become intertwined when the Prince sits on the jury that unjustly condemns the young woman to prison. Despite a merciless justice system that does not allow for second chances, an amazing story of courage and redemption …
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Resurrection: Introduction and Act 1 Scene 1, “May Day”
"Machover has a gift for making music that is direct and complicated at the same time, for mixing popular and arcane elements. The vocal writing [of Resurrection] often dazzles with grand melismatic flourishes; jazz tumults through the brutish seduction scene; a gripping rhythmic pulse catapults through ever-changing meters." - Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times Commissioned and premiered in …
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New York Times features Opera of the Future
The M.I.T. Media Lab Opera of the Future group's work is the subject of a full-page article by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim in the August 16th issue of the New York Times. It's an engagingly written piece that covers the history of Tod Machover's work in music composition and technology, from hyperinstruments to "Death and the …
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Warming up for Dallas
A photo from Death and the Powers is featured this Sunday in the Arts & Leisure section of The New York Times, in an article about technology and opera in composer David Lang's new work. Great way to spark interest in the performance coming up at the Dallas Opera (which will be streamed worldwide) in …
David Almond on BBC’s Desert Island Discs
Check out this wonderful interview with David Almond on the BBC's Desert Island Discs series. David discusses children's literature and the music he'd want if he were a castaway. Thirty minutes into the interview he talks about the opera version of Skellig, on which he collaborated with composer Tod Machover. Here's what BBC program says about …
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Missing Operabot found!!
One of the operabots from the cast of Death and the Powers went AWOL a few days ago from the Media Lab. It turned up yesterday in, of all places, the Dallas Cowboys Stadium! Apparently it was invited there to help publicize the Dallas Opera's 2013-2014 season, which will include a simulcast of Turandot this …
New Machover song in Opera America Songbook
From Tod Machover's Facebook page: My recent song composed for the opening of the National Opera Center in New York - "Open Up the House" - is now available via iTunes. Brilliant text by Letha Hafferkamp Kiddie, and beautiful performances by Merrin Lazyan and Tae Kim (all Facebook - and real-life - dear friends). Read …
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Inside the technology for “Death and the Powers”
M.I.T. Media Lab graduate student Peter Torpey, a key collaborator in Tod Machover's opera "Death and the Powers," has published an in-depth paper detailing the opera's groundbreaking technology in the International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media. It's a must-read for anyone interested in interactive performance technology for live theater and music. You can …
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Skellig Act 1 Scene 6
Listening to the brief excerpts from Skellig the other day brought back a deluge of memories about its wonderful run at the Sage Gateshead in 2008. Few people have heard the opera because it has not yet been recorded. We thought you might enjoy this glimpse from the first act. Matthew Long sings the role …
Opera of the Future 