Sessions: Montezuma, Opera in three acts - anyone ever seen it, heard it??

Oscar

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Jan 25, 2014, 6:49:53 AM1/25/14

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I like the music of Roger Sessions. So, naturally, I want to hear what he described as his 'magnum opus', Montezuma, the opera that consumed him for nearly 30 years (begun mid-30's, completed between 1959 and 1963). The English libretto is by Giuseppe Antonio Borgese, a friend of Sessions, and is curious as it incorporates not just the Aztec language, Nahuatl, but Spanish, French and Latin, too. Combined with Sessions unique composing voice, this sounds very interesting to me. However, the only recording I can find of some music from his three-act opera is in a chamber ensemble reduction, for recital purposes. The ever-enterprising Bridge Records out of New Rochelle, N.Y. issued in 2008 a 4CD set called Americans In Rome: Music by Fellows of the American Academy in Rome http://tinyurl.com/m6gw2jb Two tableaus and Malinche's aria from Act II are featured in that collection. The reduction was arranged by Richard Aldag and performed by soprano Susan Narucki and an eight-person ensemble conducted by Jeffrey Milarski at a recital at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, April 19, 2005. I have this recording, just this evening revisiting it after a year or so, and it stoked my curiosity again, a very good performance that left me hungry for the whole enchilada.

By the way, Wikipedia (believe it or not) quotes former British Prime Minister Edward Heath, after hearing the US premiere in Boston in 1976, as saying, "I found it fascinating ... I liked the subject -- one of the few instances of an important event in history where the British played no part. In the tragedy of Montezuma we share no responsibility." LOL

Anyone know anything about Montezuma?

Alan Cooper

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Jan 25, 2014, 7:59:55 AM1/25/14

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Oscar <oscaredwar...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:7cb51bf1-4855-4360...@googlegroups.com:

Have you checked this out: http://www.operapassion.com/cdald2356.html (I
don't know anything about it.) I remember reading about a Juilliard
performance many years ago. Would have gone to see it except I was
living in Canada at the time, and it was generally panned iirc. You
might be better off with Spontini
(http://www.liberliber.it/musica/s/spontini/index.php) :-)

AC

Willem Orange

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Jan 25, 2014, 8:08:55 AM1/25/14

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Or the one by Graun????

jserr...@gmail.com

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Jan 25, 2014, 2:13:45 PM1/25/14

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If I am not mistaken, that Opera Passion recording was taken from a transfer on Operashare. And then offered for sale. One of the reasons why OS restricted its membership a few years ago.

Alan Cooper

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Jan 25, 2014, 2:23:32 PM1/25/14

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jserr...@gmail.com wrote in
news:0f9fc205-a746-430a...@googlegroups.com:

> If I am not mistaken, that Opera Passion recording was taken from a
> transfer on Operashare. And then offered for sale. One of the reasons
> why OS restricted its membership a few years ago.

A sleazy trick, but perhaps you could let Oscar know how to hear the opera
without rewarding the perpetrator of sleaze.

AC

R. Edwards

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Jan 25, 2014, 3:20:11 PM1/25/14

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Sessions: Montezuma - OCB/Caldwell (American premier 1976) 2 mp3s + txt file:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/5o4hezxk6btc18c/Sessions_Montezuma_Caldwell_1976.zip

Alan Cooper

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Jan 25, 2014, 5:01:43 PM1/25/14

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"R. Edwards" <opu...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:d4ccf014-811a-4eb1...@googlegroups.com:

Really nice of you. Many thanks!

AC

jserr...@gmail.com

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Jan 25, 2014, 5:19:43 PM1/25/14

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Thank you for providing this rare work.

Oscar

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Jan 25, 2014, 5:59:22 PM1/25/14

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Thx, Mr. Edwards. Greatly appreciated.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 26, 2014, 6:14:36 PM1/26/14

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"R. Edwards" <opu...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the following
letters to be typed in
news:d4ccf014-811a-4eb1...@googlegroups.com:

> Sessions: Montezuma - OCB/Caldwell (American premier 1976) 2 mp3s + txt
> file:
>
> http://www.mediafire.com/download/5o4hezxk6btc18c/Sessions_Montezuma_Cald
> well_1976.zip

Thanks, Ray.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.

Matthew B. Tepper

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Jan 26, 2014, 6:14:36 PM1/26/14

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Oscar <oscaredwar...@gmail.com> appears to have caused the

following letters to be typed in

news:7cb51bf1-4855-4360...@googlegroups.com:

> I like the music of Roger Sessions. So, naturally, I want to hear what he
> described as his 'magnum opus', Montezuma, the opera that consumed him for
> nearly 30 years (begun mid-30's, completed between 1959 and 1963). The
> English libretto is by Giuseppe Antonio Borgese, a friend of Sessions, and
> is curious as it incorporates not just the Aztec language, Nahuatl, but
> Spanish, French and Latin, too.

Oddly enough, last night we went to a party where one of the other guests was
Emo Philips. His comedy act may be off-the-wall, but he's a gentle soul and
something of a hidden intellectual with wide-ranging interests. He mentioned
that he was fond of Phillip Glass' operas (an interest I do not share), in
part because of the use of obscure languages in the libretti. Wait 'til I
tell him about this!