Selections from WOLF-IN-SKINS by Gregory H Spears published on 2016-01-25T14:18:23Z Selections from WOLF-IN-SKINS Music by Gregory Spears Libretto by Christopher Williams Performed by NEW VINTAGE BAROQUE on MATA's Radical Pairings with Eve Gigliotti - mezzo soprano Sarah Brailey - soprano Majel Connery - mezzo soprano Christopher Herbert - baritone Owen McIntosh - tenor WOLF-IN-SKINS is a dance-opera I am writing in collaboration with choreographer Christopher Williams, who also wrote the work’s libretto. The story draws inspiration from Welsh folklore and earlier mythic tropes that survived in a 13th century cycle of romance tales collectively known as the Mabinogi. Part one of the work and a preview of part two were produced by Philadelphia Dance Projects in collaboration with Christopher Williams Dances and American Opera Projects in 2013. The work's instrumentation, musical pacing, and styles of singing are inspired by a host of historical styles and forms. When conceiving of the sound world, I was inspired by music from Monteverdi to Stravinsky that dramatizes myth, medieval stories, and fairytale in the form of opera and ballet. I was also influenced by the many Romantic composers who were inspired by the exotic terrain and fairy mythology of the British Isles. The orchestra for "Wolf-in-Skins" is comprised of mostly period instruments performing at baroque pitch, both a nod to the French opéra-ballet era, and the early myth-based operas of Italian opera. Throughout the score, a system of leitmotivs - inspired by a Wagnerian sense of mythic narrative and text painting - defines the inner life of the characters and forecasts their fate. The Fair Folk (or supernatural characters) sing in a pastoral style, consisting of a mix of early music and post minimal styles. The Menfolk (or human characters) sing melodies reminiscent of neo-baroque fanfares, horncalls, and birdcalls reflecting their interest in the rituals of hunting and war. My goal is for these musical influences to converge and tell the mythic story of the hero’s journey (the eponymous Wolf-in-Skins) who as part animal, part supernatural, and part human finds himself dangerously caught between worlds. The creation of Wolf-in-Skins was supported in part by funds from MATA, American Opera Projects, the 92nd Street Y New Works in Dance Fund, the Greenwall Foundation, the O’Donnell-Green Music & Dance Foundation, and Philadelphia Dance Projects. Additional development of Wolf-in-Skins has been provided through residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, One Arm Red, Dance New Amsterdam, the Joyce SoHo as part of a Rockefeller Dance-Theater Planning Residency, and at Watermill - a laboratory for performance. Genre dance opera Contains tracks Dance of the Fay Milkmaids by Gregory H Spears published on 2016-01-25T15:08:36Z The Love Song of Gilfaethwy the False by Gregory H Spears published on 2016-01-25T14:18:21Z The Fay Milkmaids Calling the Kine by Gregory H Spears published on 2016-01-25T14:18:21Z Fearsome this Night by Gregory H Spears published on 2016-01-25T14:18:22Z
