World Premiere Recording — Houston Grand Opera, March 2008
PURCHASE CD from Amazon
PURCHASE CD from Albany Records
Listen to clips from Three Decembers—"What Do You Remember About Dad?" "The Moon's Lullaby"
Listen to HGO Dramaturg Colin Ure's Interview with Frederica von Stade and Jake Heggie (32 MB) Download the Press Release
Three Decembers was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in association with San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances (Robert Cole, Director). It was developed with generous support from Meet the Composer, Betty Freeman, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Houston Grand Opera gratefully acknowledges lead funders for its stage production: The Carol Franc Buck Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Hinda and Barry Simon, Franci and Jim Crane, Sheridan and John Eddie Williams and The National Endowment for the Arts. The release on CD was made possible thanks to Luci and Rich Janssen, Bill and Sara Morgan, and Marge and Adrianne Vincent. Three Decembers was recorded in performance at the Wortham Theater Center in March 2008 through the facilities of KUHF-88.7 FM, Houston Public Radio; the recording was produced, engineered on location and edited by Marlan Barry. Houston Grand Opera records its performances thanks to major grants from The Ford Foundation and The Wortham Foundation, Inc.
An Opera in Two Acts Music by Jake Heggie Libretto by Gene Scheer Based on Some Christmas Letters, an original play by Terrence McNally Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in association with San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances
The Cast
Madeline Mitchell – Frederica von Stade Charlie – Keith Phares Beatrice – Kristin Clayton
Three Decembers Ensemble Piano – Jake Heggie and Patrick Summers Oboe/English Horn – Elizabeth Priestly Woodwinds – Scott Plugge Clarinet – Carol Stinson* Violin – Jonathan Godfrey*, Acting Concertmaster Hae-a Lee* and Chavdar Parashkevov* Cello – Erika Johnson* Bass – Dennis Whittaker* Percussion – Richard Brown* Houston Grand Opera Orchestra *Core Member
Conductor – Patrick Summers Mr. and Mrs. Albert B. Alkek Music Director Chair Director / Designer – Leonard Foglia Costume Designer – Cesar Galindo Lighting Designer – Brian Nason Musical Preparation – Eric Melear Mr. and Mrs. James A. Elkins Endowed Chair Grant Loehnig John M. O’Quinn Foundation Endowed Fellow Stage Manager – Kristen Burke Assistant Director – Brad Dalton Assistant to Mr. Nason – Gary C. Echelmeyer Recording produced, engineered on location, edited and mixed by Marlan Barry Assistant engineers – Andy Bradley and Francis Schmidt
The Recording
CD1 (Act I) Part 1: 1986 1. Prelude 2. Scene 1: A Christmas Letter 3. Trio: “Once, before you were born…” 4. Aria (Charlie) 5. Scene 2: Christmas Party in Barbados 6. Song (Maddy): “About to break” 7. Scene 3: Backstage, Maddy’s Dressing Room 8. Duet (Maddy & Bea): “In the months, in the years ahead…” 9. Scene 4: Charlie & Bea on the Golden Gate Bridge 10. Duet: “What do you remember about Dad?”
CD2 (Act II) Part 2: 1996 1. Scene 1: Charlie’s Apartment 2. Scene 2: The Moon’s Lullaby 3. Scene 3: Maddy’s Apartment 4. Aria (Bea) 5. Shoes Duet (Bea & Charlie) 6. Maddy: “You look lovely, dear…” 7. Trio: “I don’t believe you…” 8. Interlude
Part 3: 2006 9. Maddy’s Memorial at a Broadway theater 10. Farewell: “All in all, isn’t life simply grand?”
photos © 2008 Brett Coomer rehearsal photo by Terrence McCarthy
