HF New Civil War Opera "Cold Mountain"

Historical-Fiction

Pat Young

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Featured Book Reviewer
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Location
Long Island, NY
Opera Philadelphia has a newly commissioned Civil War opera Cold Mountain, based on the Charles Frazier novel of the same name. Apparently the work origianlly premiered at the Santa Fe Opera House. The blog at The Journal of the Civil War Era has a review of the opera here:

https://journalofthecivilwarera.org/2016/02/cold-mountain-the-civil-wars-night-at-the-opera/

From the review:

Staged by Opera Philadelphia, Cold Mountain was developed as part of the American Repertoire Program, which promotes the creation of contemporary American opera. Like Philip Glass’s Appomattox, this adaptation of Cold Mountain does not claim historical accuracy, but it is part of a renewed popular interest in the history the era. Just as Hollywood has begun to give the history of slavery serious attention (see: 12 Years A Slave and Nate Parker’s forthcoming, The Birth of A Nation), it seems fair to say that the Civil War is having a moment in the fine arts. While this is undoubtedly good news for scholars and buffs, some may worry if enhanced public visibility will come at the expense of historical accuracy.
 
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More from the review:

The real emotion behind this opera derives from the performances of Jarrett Ott (Inman), Isabel Leonard (Ada), and Cecelia Hall (Ruby), who offer excellent presentations of deeply scarred characters. Of particular note was Jay Hunter Morris’s brilliant portrayal of Teague. Whenever the chain-smoking Teague entered the stage, I was fully prepared for some form of war crime to occur, especially summary executions of Confederate deserters,. These performances make Cold Mountain well worth the price of admission.
 
Well, add that to my list of things I never thought would have happen but did.

I'm not a fan of opera but I hope it does well. I liked the book and the movie.
I like opera, so if it comes to New York I would see it if I could. It sounds like a good fit for the New York City Opera or for the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
 
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