Gordon's 'Van Gogh'

M. Gordon, Van Gogh, Alarm Will Sound (Canteloupe, 2008)

Charles T. Downey, A ‘Van Gogh’ opera without the video
Washington Post, May 30

When Michael Gordon premiered his opera “Van Gogh” in 1991, performances were accompanied by an Elliot Caplan video. When presented without the video, as in a concert by the Great Noise Ensemble on Saturday night at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, the work comes across more as a static song cycle than an opera. The effect is the same as on the recording made by the ensemble Alarm Will Sound, released by the Cantaloupe Music label in 2008.

Gordon set to music several disjointed passages from Van Gogh’s letters, which give a psychological portrait of the Dutch painter. Soprano Lisa Perry, tenor Michael Dodge and baritone Andrew Sauvageau gave voice to the artist’s observations, sometimes in unison, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in solo moments... [Continue reading]

Michael Gordon, Van Gogh
Great Noise Ensemble
Atlas Performing Arts Center