Libretto by Arnold Weinstein and Arthur Miller, based on the play by Arthur Miller
Kim Josephson, Catherine Malfitano, Juliana Rambaldi, Gregory Turay, Mark McCrory, Timothy Nolen, Chorus and Orchestra of Lyric Opera of Chicago; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
This is the world-premiere recording of William Bolcom's tragic opera, unanimously acclaimed as one of the most significant additions to the American opera repertory in recent times. View is based on Miller's powerful play depicting the fall from grace of a longshoreman, Eddie Carbone, whose barely repressed desire for his now-grown niece, Catherine, leads to the betrayal of his community and disastrous personal consequences. Bolcom's beautifully crafted and richly varied score embellishes but never overwhelms Miller's dark drama.
“Bolcom is an important composer in his prime, who writes confidently in an eclectic style that is musically sophisticated but always accessible. The material has been craftily adapted by the composer's longtime collaborator, Arnold Weinstein, who retains the drama's taut structure while still allowing ample opportunity for lyrical expansion . . . The Lyric Opera's production could not be more effectively mounted or splendidly cast . . . Dennis Russell Davies encourages the orchestra to savor the score's purely musical beauties without compromising the drama's swift pacing. Working as a honed ensemble, the cast never strikes a false note.” —New York magazine
“. . . an unusually gripping piece of theater. For its dramatic power alone, the opera deserves to be seen everywhere. . . Mr. Bolcom's setting of text is always clear, supported by but never overwhelmed by the orchestra . . . If he tosses in a two-step or a barbershop quartet to lighten the mood, it always fits . . .The cast was dramatically and musically first-rate . . . In the pit, Dennis Russell Davies shaped the propulsive score while remaining sensitive to the singers and to the moments of relaxation and humor.” —The Wall Street Journal
“There is much to admire: Bolcom's animated and melodic score, the imaginative libretto fashioned by Arnold Weinstein and [Arthur] Miller, the excellent cast and production values . . . Bolcom's music breathes with Yankee vernacular, from ’50s doo-wop to the alternatingly spunky and bittersweet melodic contours associated with great American songwriters like Gershwin, Harry Warren, and Jerome Kern . . . Bolcom's score pulsates with rhythm and color. For all of Bolcom's well-known eclecticism, his postmodern mix of styles here sound folded into a single aesthetic vision . . . [Bolcom] is very much in his prime and belongs in the front rank of American composers.” —Detroit Free Press
William Bolcom: A View From The Bridge
| WAV | $17.99 | |
| 2x CD-R+ | $31.98 |
A *.pdf of the notes may also be accessed here free of charge.
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Act I: Orchestral Introduction
William Bolcom
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Red Hook
William Bolcom
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Hey, Eddie!
William Bolcom
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Where you goin' all dressed up?
William Bolcom
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Beatrice! Hurry up
William Bolcom
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Get used to it, Eddie
William Bolcom
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But when you're gone
William Bolcom
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Now listen, both a yiz
William Bolcom
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Remember Vinnie Bolzano
William Bolcom
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Eddie was a man
William Bolcom
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You're on your own now
William Bolcom
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Marco! Rodolpho!
William Bolcom
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Then when I am rich
William Bolcom
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Rodolpho, are you married, too
William Bolcom
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I sing jazz, too
William Bolcom
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Eduardo, if you let us sleep here
William Bolcom
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Now there was a future he must face
William Bolcom
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It's after eight o'clock
William Bolcom
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Eddie, when am I gonna be a wife again?
William Bolcom
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Eddie never knew he had a destiny
William Bolcom
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Hey Eddie! Wanna go bowling tonight?
William Bolcom
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Where'd you go?
William Bolcom
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Aria: "New York Lights" (aka "I love the beauty of the view at home")
William Bolcom
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Rodolpho, I thought I told you to go in
William Bolcom
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Arietta: "He's a hit-and-run guy!"
William Bolcom
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Aria: "Was there ever any fella that he liked for you?"
William Bolcom
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There's nothing illegal about it
William Bolcom
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You know where the two of them went?
William Bolcom
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Whaddyda say, Marco
William Bolcom
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Eddie, you're pretty strong
William Bolcom
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Act II: Orchestral Introduction
William Bolcom
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Hey guys! It's whisky!
William Bolcom
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Rodolpho! Didn't they hire you?
William Bolcom
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It's true
William Bolcom
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Aria: "But you do not know this man"
William Bolcom
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Somehow, somehow
William Bolcom
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Aria: "On December twenty-seventh I saw him next"
William Bolcom
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He won't leave!
William Bolcom
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Where are they?
William Bolcom
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Eddie has something to say, Katie
William Bolcom
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Bea, could I take two pillows up?
William Bolcom
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That man! I accuse that man!
William Bolcom
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Aria: "To America I sailed on a ship called Hunger"
William Bolcom
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Orchestral Interlude
William Bolcom
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For the sake of my sister
William Bolcom
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Marco's coming, Eddie
William Bolcom
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Come, Catherine
William Bolcom
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Eddie, listen to me!
William Bolcom
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Eddie Carbone!
William Bolcom
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Eyes like tunnels
William Bolcom
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When the tide is right
William Bolcom
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