Magnum Opus
Tad Czyzewski and Daniele Lorio
Press:
"...'Magnum Opus' is definitely ready for the big time."
"The libretto in English by Michael Oberhauser had wonderful poetic phrases and great word selection which made it very easy to listen to and for the singers to sing."
"If you have never enjoyed an opera in English...this will be a certain treat for you to change your mind."
-- Bob Anthony, AllArtsReview4u.com
"[Magnum Opus has] enough in it to make one curious about what it -- or the energy it represented -- might be when it grows up."
-- Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
"... a respectable original score"
-- Brian Reed, The Washington City Paper
Read the full review here
"Oberhauser's hour-long score is accomplished"
"Oberhauser squeezes some beautiful colors from his small ensemble"
-- Charles Downey, DCist.com
Read the full review here
"the opera's 60 minutes go by quickly"
-- Nelson Pressley, GOG Blog, The Washington Post
"accessible, entertaining, and poignant"
"When Philippa mourns the loss of trust in her marriage, a beautiful sorrow that transcends the text finds its true home in Oberhauser’s harrowing melodies and reaches the audience. Empathy is felt. The eyes well up. These are the emotionally loaded moments that are only achievable through opera, and fortunately for us, this production is full of them."
"If you wouldn’t really say that opera is your thing, or if you’ve simply never given the mellifluous art form a try, this would be a perfect place to start."
-- Anna Brungardt, dctheatrescene.com
Read the full review here
"The libretto in English by Michael Oberhauser had wonderful poetic phrases and great word selection which made it very easy to listen to and for the singers to sing."
"If you have never enjoyed an opera in English...this will be a certain treat for you to change your mind."
-- Bob Anthony, AllArtsReview4u.com
"[Magnum Opus has] enough in it to make one curious about what it -- or the energy it represented -- might be when it grows up."
-- Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
"... a respectable original score"
-- Brian Reed, The Washington City Paper
Read the full review here
"Oberhauser's hour-long score is accomplished"
"Oberhauser squeezes some beautiful colors from his small ensemble"
-- Charles Downey, DCist.com
Read the full review here
"the opera's 60 minutes go by quickly"
-- Nelson Pressley, GOG Blog, The Washington Post
"accessible, entertaining, and poignant"
"When Philippa mourns the loss of trust in her marriage, a beautiful sorrow that transcends the text finds its true home in Oberhauser’s harrowing melodies and reaches the audience. Empathy is felt. The eyes well up. These are the emotionally loaded moments that are only achievable through opera, and fortunately for us, this production is full of them."
"If you wouldn’t really say that opera is your thing, or if you’ve simply never given the mellifluous art form a try, this would be a perfect place to start."
-- Anna Brungardt, dctheatrescene.com
Read the full review here
Magnum Opus
A modern retelling of the story of Robert Schumann. The modern-day Robert thinks his wife, Claire, might be cheating on him with a young composer, John. To make matters worse, he's been having hallucinations (or are they hallucinations?) of Greek Goddesses and of Robert Schumann himself.
Characters:
Claire - Soprano - Robert's wife. An opera singer.
Melpomene - Soprano - The muse of tragedy.
Polyhymnia - Mezzo-Soprano - The muse of sacred poetry.
John - Tenor - A young composer.
Robert - Baritone - Claire's husband. A playwright and arts critic.
Schumann - Baritone - The actual composer Robert Schumann.
Original Production: Feb. 15, 2009
Tad Czyzewski and Daniele Lorio
Directed by Jay D. Brock
Stage manager: Jessica Skelton
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Dominique Donnarumma
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Schumann - Eric C. Black
Orchestra:
Flute - Sophia Musleh
Clarinet - Elena Forbes
Violin I - Leah Beshore
Violin II - Laura Yackley
Viola - Elizabeth O'Hara
Cello - Diana Curtis
Piano - Amy Gleason
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
Stage manager: Jessica Skelton
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Dominique Donnarumma
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Schumann - Eric C. Black
Orchestra:
Flute - Sophia Musleh
Clarinet - Elena Forbes
Violin I - Leah Beshore
Violin II - Laura Yackley
Viola - Elizabeth O'Hara
Cello - Diana Curtis
Piano - Amy Gleason
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
To see a video of the 3pm performance from Sunday, February 15, 2009, click here.
Catholic University's Opera Workshop Production, April 2009
Scene 5 was performed with a pre-performance talk by Michael Oberhauser
Directed by Elaine Walter
Cast:
Melpomene - Ashley Alden
Polyhymnia - Danielle Good
Robert - Charles Hyland
Piano - Nicolas Catravas
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
Directed by Elaine Walter
Cast:
Melpomene - Ashley Alden
Polyhymnia - Danielle Good
Robert - Charles Hyland
Piano - Nicolas Catravas
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
Opera for a New Generation, July 9 2009
The Kojo Nnamdi Show, WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC
Interviews with the founders of Opera Alterna and Michael Oberhauser, and selections from Magnum Opus
Kojo Nnamdi, host
Jay D. Brock, co-founder of Opera Alterna, director of Magnum Opus
Sarah Philippa, co-founder of Opera Alterna, Claire in Magnum Opus
Michael Oberhauser, composer of Magnum Opus
Sarah Philippa, Claire
Daniele Lorio, Melpomene
Tricia Lepofsky, Polyhymnia
Robert Legge, John
Tad Czyzewski, Robert
Eric Sillers, Schumann
Nicolas Catravas, piano
Interviews with the founders of Opera Alterna and Michael Oberhauser, and selections from Magnum Opus
Kojo Nnamdi, host
Jay D. Brock, co-founder of Opera Alterna, director of Magnum Opus
Sarah Philippa, co-founder of Opera Alterna, Claire in Magnum Opus
Michael Oberhauser, composer of Magnum Opus
Sarah Philippa, Claire
Daniele Lorio, Melpomene
Tricia Lepofsky, Polyhymnia
Robert Legge, John
Tad Czyzewski, Robert
Eric Sillers, Schumann
Nicolas Catravas, piano
Fringe Festival production, July 2009
Robert Legge
The Warehouse Theatre
1021 7th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
July 9, 12, 16, 18, and 25, 2009.
Produced by Opera Alterna
Directed by Jay D. Brock
Lighting Designer - Jason Cowperthwaite
Stage Manager - Jessica Skelton
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Tricia Lepofsky
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Eric C. Black (7-12)
Schumann - Eric Sillers
Orchestra:
Flute - Katrina Smith
Clarinet - Elena Forbes
Violin - Josiah Lambert
Alison Candela (7-18)
Viola - Henry Valoris
Cello - Sean Niedlinger
Piano - Nicolas Catravas
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
1021 7th St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
July 9, 12, 16, 18, and 25, 2009.
Produced by Opera Alterna
Directed by Jay D. Brock
Lighting Designer - Jason Cowperthwaite
Stage Manager - Jessica Skelton
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Tricia Lepofsky
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Eric C. Black (7-12)
Schumann - Eric Sillers
Orchestra:
Flute - Katrina Smith
Clarinet - Elena Forbes
Violin - Josiah Lambert
Alison Candela (7-18)
Viola - Henry Valoris
Cello - Sean Niedlinger
Piano - Nicolas Catravas
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
Page-to-Stage Festival Production, September 2009
Cast of the Page-to-Stage production
At the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Directed by Jay D. Brock
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Tricia Lepofsky
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Schumann - Eric C. Black
Piano - Amy Gleason
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser
Directed by Jay D. Brock
Cast:
Claire - Sarah Philippa
Melpomene - Daniele Lorio
Polyhymnia - Tricia Lepofsky
John - Robert Legge
Robert - Tad Czyzewski
Schumann - Eric C. Black
Piano - Amy Gleason
Conductor - Michael Oberhauser