Abraham in Flames, an opera for girls chorus
* San Francisco Chronicle BEST of 2019 in classical music performance *
REcorded in surround sound
Aleksandra Vrebalov (Composer)
Niloufar Talebi (Creator/Librettist)
Roy Rallo (Director/Dramaturg)
Stefano Flavoni (Musical Director)
Heather Carson (Production and Lighting Design)
Christine Crook (Costume Design)
Featuring the Young Women’s Chorus of SF and
The Living Earth Show
Commissioned and Presented by
Niloufar Talebi Projects
in partnership with the Merola Opera Program
Cath Brittan (Producer)
World Premiere: May 9-12, 2019
Z Space 450 Florida
San Francisco, CA 94110
Abraham in Flames is a new opera by creator/producer Niloufar Talebi, composer Aleksandra Vrebalov, and director/dramaturg Roy Rallo. The opera is inspired by Talebi's coming of age in Tehran around the iconic Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou who attended her parents' literary salons, the staggering imagery in Shamlou's life and poetry, Trials by Fire, and the Tree of Life.
“an elusive but arresting new chamber opera…”
— Joshua Kosman of the SF Chronicle
"Vrebalov’s seductive and colorfully orchestrated score...with a sleek production and lighting design by Heather Carson and costumes by Christine Crook, the opera stirred interest even before it began.”
— Steven Winn of SF Classical Voice’s in Abraham in Flames Burns Brightly at Z Space
“Written by a female composer and female librettist, a very rare occurrence in a world dominated by male composers/librettists...The biggest pièce de résistance of the opera, the use of a girls’ choir as the lead character. An amazing achievement for everybody involved, and truly a worthy addition to the opera world."
— Michael Anthonio of Parterre in There Will be Bloom
Singers:
YWCP (chorus) — Lead character: Girl
RYAN BELONGIE (countertenor) — Angel
RENÉE RAPIER (mezzo-soprano) — Poet
NIKKI EINFELD (soprano) — Fear/Doubt
KIRK EICHELBERGER (bass) — Knowing
ANDREW METZGER (tenor) — Happiness
Musicians:
STEFANO FLAVONI (conductor)
THE LIVING EARTH SHOW
RON BORELLI (accordion)
MATTHEW BOYLES (clarinet)
LUCAS CHEN (cello)
RACHEL PATRICK (violin)
I had the immense fortune of coming of age after the 1979 Iranian revolution around the iconic Iranian poet, احمد شاملو Ahmad Shamlou (1925 - 2000), who visited my parents’ literary salons in Tehran. Shamlou was a towering cultural figure who surmounted a bleak childhood to foment a revolution in Iranian poetics. His presence was a defining and disruptive moment that has echoed in immeasurable ways through my life. To grow up around such a figure was a gift of love, art, and a brush with the best of humanity.
There is a book-length selection of Shamlou’s poetry in my translation in Self-Portrait in Bloom, my part-memoir, part-biography, part-history of literature in Iran, and part-photo essay meditation on art and the creative spirit. Read sample translations here.
Abraham in Flames is inspired in part by Shamlou’s seminal 1974 book of poems, Ebraahim Dar Aatash ابراهیم در آتش which I translate into Abraham in Flames. The title is taken from the apocryphal story of young Abraham surviving unscathed the trial by fire that Nimrod puts him through for not believing in idols. Shamlou’s poems celebrate those who risk everything for their truths, such as freedom-fighters and artists. Abraham in Flames is a “Künstleroper,” an opera about the spiritual growth of a young artist written for a girls chorus as the protagonist, with soloists playing supporting roles to them.
The opera’s first half was workshopped during a residency week September 30 -- October 4, 2017, with 3 public viewings: Oct. 3 at 1:00 and 7:30 pm and Oct. 4 at 7:30 pm at the Wilsey Center for Opera, San Francisco, 401 Van Ness Ave, 4th floor Education Studio, 1:00 pm Oct. 4 viewing was offered to K-12 students and included a Professional Development session for educators in partnership with the San Francisco Opera Education Department
Singers and Musicians:
YWCP (chorus): Girl
MING LUKE (conductor)
BRIAN THORSETT (tenor): Angel
The Living Earth Show
JASMINE JOHNSON (alto): Poet
LUCAS CHEN (cello)
NIKKI EINFELD (soprano): Fear/Doubt
MATTHEW BOYLES (clarinet)
COLIN RAMSEY (bass): Knowing
RON BORELLI (accordion)
ANDREW METZGER (tenor): Happiness
RACHEL PATRICK (violin)
