Three Tales is a video-opera in three acts (titled Hindenburg, Bikini and Dolly) with music by American composer Steve Reich and visuals by Beryl Korot, his wife. It is scored for two sopranos, three tenors, string quartet, percussion, keyboards, and pre-recorded audio. Its premiere was at the Vienna Festival on May 12, 2002; the BBC had commissioned a version for television broadcast four months later. The 12-minute tale Hindenburg had been written (and recorded) in 1998, while the remaining tales were completed (and recorded) in the year of the premiere.
The musical narrative of Three Tales follows "speech melodies" of pre-recorded interviews, and in many ways resembles Reich's works The Cave (1990–1993), City Life (1995) and Different Trains (1988). The libretto of Three Tales can be found on the website of the composer (see bottom of page).
The three tales (acts) divide into various sub-sections:
Act I – Hindenburg
It could not have been a technical matter – Nibelung Zeppelin – A very impressive thing to see – I couldn't understand It
Act II – Bikini
In the air I – The atoll I – On the ships I – In the air II – The atoll II – On the ships II – In the air III – The atoll III - On the ships III - Coda
Act III – Dolly
Cloning - Dolly - Human body machine - Darwin - Interlude - Robots/Cyborgs/Immortality
Performersedit
vocal quintet: 2 sopranos, 3 tenors
4 percussionists: 2 vibraphones, 2 snare drums, 2 pedal bass drums, suspended cymbal, large gong
Andrew McGregor wrote a positive review for BBC Music, stating that the video for the third act (“Dolly”) was the most effective and arguing that “Reich and Korot can't give you the answer [to where the human race is headed], but they frame the questions more memorably and insistently than most.”[2] Kila Packett also gave the opera a positive review in PopMatters; she argued that the first act (“Hindenburg”) is the most musically satisfying and the third act the most thought-provoking, and interpreted the work as a “a bittersweet love letter romanticizing the tragic beauty of destruction and the inevitable folly of human achievement”, but she found Korot’s work on the first act to “lack visual imagination”.[3] Andrew Clements of The Guardian awarded Three Tales a full five stars, writing “The three movements get progressively weightier, more discursive, more visually inventive [...] this piece represents a quantum leap in complexity and technological achievement.”[4]
K Smith wrote an unfavorable review in Gramophone, stating that Reich and Korot seem oblivious to “how the Faustian pact with technology that they decry in society has also affected their own work.” Smith argued, “In both its emotional evocations as well as its compositional process, Three Tales is highly manipulative. [...] For artists so quick to criticise others for playing God, they prove vulnerable to the same temptation themselves.”[5]
In 2016, Clements ranked the piece as one of Reich’s 10 greatest.[6]
Recordingsedit
Steve Reich Ensemble. Three Tales. Rec. June 2002. Judith Sherman, 2003 (audio)
Three Tales. Dir. Nick Mangano. Perf. Steve Reich Ensemble, Synergy Vocals. Videocassette. Brooklyn Academy of Music, 2002 (visual).
^Andrew McGregor. "BBC - Music - Review of Steve Reich - Three Tales". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
^"Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot". PopMatters. 2002-10-23. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
^Clements, Andrew (2003-10-17). "CD & DVD: Reich/Korot: Three Tales". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
^Smith, K. (2013-01-09). "Reich Three Tales". www.gramophone.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
^Clements, Andrew (2016-10-03). "Steve Reich – 10 of the best". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
External linksedit
SteveReich.com - Three Tales - opera libretto
May 03, 2024
three, tales, opera, three, tales, video, opera, three, acts, titled, hindenburg, bikini, dolly, with, music, american, composer, steve, reich, visuals, beryl, korot, wife, scored, sopranos, three, tenors, string, quartet, percussion, keyboards, recorded, audi. Three Tales is a video opera in three acts titled Hindenburg Bikini and Dolly with music by American composer Steve Reich and visuals by Beryl Korot his wife It is scored for two sopranos three tenors string quartet percussion keyboards and pre recorded audio Its premiere was at the Vienna Festival on May 12 2002 the BBC had commissioned a version for television broadcast four months later The 12 minute tale Hindenburg had been written and recorded in 1998 while the remaining tales were completed and recorded in the year of the premiere Three TalesVideo opera by Steve ReichThe composer in 2008LanguageEnglishBased onHindenburg disaster Bikini Atoll nuclear testings Dolly the sheepPremiereMay 12 2002 2002 05 12 Vienna Festival The musical narrative of Three Tales follows speech melodies of pre recorded interviews and in many ways resembles Reich s works The Cave 1990 1993 City Life 1995 and Different Trains 1988 The libretto of Three Tales can be found on the website of the composer see bottom of page Three Tales is a response to nearly a hundred years of modern technology concerning the explosion of the Hindenburg nuclear testings on Bikini Atoll and the cloning of Dolly the sheep drawing connections between genetic engineering and artificial intelligence The different stories are told from various perspectives with speech culled from interviews with eyewitnesses audiovisual documentary material of both the Hindenburg and Bikini tragedies and experts in computer science e g Marvin Minsky and Kevin Warwick artificial intelligence Rodney Brooks Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and genetic engineering Richard Dawkins and Robert Pollack Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Performers 3 Reception 4 Recordings 5 References 6 External linksSynopsis editThe three tales acts divide into various sub sections Act I Hindenburg It could not have been a technical matter Nibelung Zeppelin A very impressive thing to see I couldn t understand It Act II Bikini In the air I The atoll I On the ships I In the air II The atoll II On the ships II In the air III The atoll III On the ships III Coda Act III Dolly Cloning Dolly Human body machine Darwin Interlude Robots Cyborgs ImmortalityPerformers editvocal quintet 2 sopranos 3 tenors 4 percussionists 2 vibraphones 2 snare drums 2 pedal bass drums suspended cymbal large gong 2 pianos string quartet 2 violins viola cello pre recorded tape or hard disk recorder 1 Reception editAndrew McGregor wrote a positive review for BBC Music stating that the video for the third act Dolly was the most effective and arguing that Reich and Korot can t give you the answer to where the human race is headed but they frame the questions more memorably and insistently than most 2 Kila Packett also gave the opera a positive review in PopMatters she argued that the first act Hindenburg is the most musically satisfying and the third act the most thought provoking and interpreted the work as a a bittersweet love letter romanticizing the tragic beauty of destruction and the inevitable folly of human achievement but she found Korot s work on the first act to lack visual imagination 3 Andrew Clements of The Guardian awarded Three Tales a full five stars writing The three movements get progressively weightier more discursive more visually inventive this piece represents a quantum leap in complexity and technological achievement 4 K Smith wrote an unfavorable review in Gramophone stating that Reich and Korot seem oblivious to how the Faustian pact with technology that they decry in society has also affected their own work Smith argued In both its emotional evocations as well as its compositional process Three Tales is highly manipulative For artists so quick to criticise others for playing God they prove vulnerable to the same temptation themselves 5 In 2016 Clements ranked the piece as one of Reich s 10 greatest 6 Recordings editSteve Reich Ensemble Three Tales Rec June 2002 Judith Sherman 2003 audio Three Tales Dir Nick Mangano Perf Steve Reich Ensemble Synergy Vocals Videocassette Brooklyn Academy of Music 2002 visual References edit Information on boosey com Andrew McGregor BBC Music Review of Steve Reich Three Tales www bbc co uk Retrieved 2019 10 12 Three Tales by Steve Reich and Beryl Korot PopMatters 2002 10 23 Retrieved 2019 10 12 Clements Andrew 2003 10 17 CD amp DVD Reich Korot Three Tales The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2019 10 12 Smith K 2013 01 09 Reich Three Tales www gramophone co uk Retrieved 2019 10 12 Clements Andrew 2016 10 03 Steve Reich 10 of the best The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 2019 10 12 External links editSteveReich com Three Tales opera libretto Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Three Tales opera amp oldid 1188556643, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
