Glass's New 'Appomattox' a Long Battle

Charles T. Downey, Glass’s revised “Appomattox” proves even more unwieldy at Washington National Opera (The Classical Review, November 15)

In some ways, the United States is still fighting the Civil War. Political divides, even now, often fall along similar fault lines, and the wounds caused by the conflict, Tristan-like, refuse to heal.

This was the premise of Philip Glass’s opera Appomattox, premiered at San Francisco Opera in 2007, which connects the Civil War to the Civil Rights era. Although critics hailed it as unwieldy...

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Philip Glass, Appomattox
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House

SEE ALSO:
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, Review: ‘Appomattox’ at the Kennedy Center (New York Times, November 15)

Anne Midgette, ‘Appomattox’: A superb night at the opera (The Washington Post, November 15)

---, The war that would not end: Race relations take the opera stage (Washington Post, November 14)

Alex Baker, Glass Warfare (Parterre Box, November 16)

Seth Colter Walls, Appomattox review – Philip Glass's revised opera considers race in America (The Guardian, November 15)

Tim Smith, Philip Glass opera 'Appomattox' addresses Civil War, civil rights (Baltimore Sun, November 12)

Michael Cooper, Seeing Voting Rights Under Siege, Philip Glass Rewrites an Opera (New York Times, November 10)

Charles T. Downey, Virginia Opera Does It Again (Glass, Orphée) (Ionarts, February 11, 2012)

---, Philip Glass at the Phillips Collection (The Washingtonian, October 4, 2011)

---, Nothing but Dance (Ionarts, April 25, 2011)

---, Ionarts at Large: Satyagraha at the Met (Ionarts, April 21, 2008)

Joshua Kosman, Philip Glass opera 'Appomattox' both impressive and inconsistent (San Francisco Chronicle, October 6, 2007)