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1.8.13

Ionarts in Santa Fe: 'Oscar'


David Daniels (Oscar Wilde, center) and cast in Oscar, Santa Fe Opera, 2013 (photo by Ken Howard)

Charles T. Downey, Morrison’s “Oscar” premiere proves a trial at Santa Fe Opera
The Classical Review, August 1
One of the best things about coming to the Santa Fe Opera each summer is the chance to hear new or at least recent operas. The company has a decorated history of world and U.S. premieres, an admirable devotion to contemporary composition to which it has stuck through thick and thin. This year’s season was anchored on the world premiere of Oscar, heard Wednesday night, the first opera by American composer Theodore Morrison and the result of a co-commision with Opera Philadelphia, which will mount it in 2015.
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Theodore Morrison, Oscar
With David Daniels, Heidi Stober, William Burden
Santa Fe Opera

SEE ALSO:
Ray Mark Rinaldi, First openly gay opera a fitting tribute to Oscar Wilde (Denver Post, July 15)

James M. Keller, 'Oscar' unveiled at Santa Fe Opera (Santa Fe New Mexican, July 28)

John Stege, Oscar’s Fatal Attraction: A messy night at the Opera (Santa Fe Reporter, July 30)

[Batty Masetto], Walk on the Wilde Side (Parterre.com, July 31)

Philip Campbell, Operatic Oscar (Albuquerque Journal, August 1)

James R. Oestreich, When a Poet’s Life and the Law Are at Odds (New York Times, August 2)

Scott Cantrell, A strong, if imperfect, new Oscar Wilde opera in Santa Fe (Dallas Morning News, August 2)

George Loomis, Oscar, Santa Fe Opera, New Mexico (Financial Times, August 4)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your comments after "For reasons that pass understanding..." are obtuse to say the very least.

Charles T. Downey said...

I will try to put it another way. The opera presented the decision to fight the libel charges as heroic. From a legal point of view, however, since the definition of libel is "a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation," Wilde did not have a leg to stand on in court. The comments of Bosie's father, whatever you may think about their fairness, were demonstrably true. Bosie, who pushed Wilde to challenge them, was Wilde's downfall in that sense.