David T. Little: Black Lodge

by Timur and the Dime Museum, Isaura String Quartet

Overview

Opera and the more theatrical forms of rock music, considered in the abstract, seem to be cousins, but problems arise when they are combined. This outing by composer David T. Little made a splash with audiences and earned a 2023 Grammy Award nomination for Best Opera Recording. The project was originally a film, for which this album was the soundtrack; it stands on its own reasonably well. The main performers are the postpunk/industrial band Timur and the Dime Museum with the Isaura String Quartet. Curious listeners should note that Little's mixture is more rock than classical; the string quartet is present through much of the score but comes to the fore only in quieter, nostalgic passages. These arise mostly when the protagonist, known only as The Man, looks back on earlier phases of his life. The story is loosely based on an episode in the life of writer William S. Burroughs, who shot his second wife in Mexico City in 1951; he claimed the shooting was accidental and was eventually convicted of manslaughter. The author of the libretto, poet Anne Waldman (it is impressive that she undertook such an innovative project in her late seventies), has stated that she also sought to evoke the dreamlike modern horror productions of the likes of director David Lynch. Though the dominant texture is rock guitars, Timur's voice is certainly clear and dramatic enough to qualify the work as an opera, and for dispassionate listeners, it may be the main attraction here. Not everyone is going to like this, and traditional opera fans may find it tough going, but it may well point to future lines of development in opera. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	07/21/2023
Label:	CANTALOUPE
UPC:	0713746318628

Tracks

1. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: I. Magic Pain (Verdun, 1916)
2. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: II. Electric Cerberus (Rodez, 1945)
3. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: III. Punishment Deserved (Tangiers, 1958)
4. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: IV. My Childhood (Spokane, 1950)
5. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: V. The Hungry Ghost Who Sings in Lamentation (Zurich, 1916)
6. Black Lodge~Part One: The Hungry Ghost and Hell Realms: VI. The Strange Light in the Lodge (Boulder, 2021)
7. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: VII. Premonition of the Worm (Philadelphia, 1964)
8. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: VIII. You find a severed ear in a field (Lumberton, 1986)
9. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: IX. Petrograd (New York, 1966)
10. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: X. Here, my severed digit (Part 1) (Cambridge, 1939)
11. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: XI. Here, my severed digit (Part 2) (Mexico City, 1951)
12. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: XII. The Warring Gods (all places, all times)
13. Black Lodge~Part Two: The Animal, Human, and Demigod Realms: XIII. A Theory of Puncture (Blairstown, 1986)
14. Black Lodge~Part Three: The God Realm of the Shamans: XIV. Introduction
15. Black Lodge~Part Three: The God Realm of the Shamans: XV. Old Shaman on the Wheel (Ivry-sur-Seine, 1948)
16. Black Lodge~Part Three: The God Realm of the Shamans: XVI. Coming at You Through Frames of Sleep (Ivry-sur-Seine, 1948)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Timur and the Dime Museum   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Isaura String Quartet   Primary Artist,String Quartet
David T. Little   Vocals
Andrew McKenna Lee   Percussion,Guitar
Timur   Vocals
Adina Verson   Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part

Technical Credits

David T. Little   Engineer,Liner Notes,Programming,Soundtrack Producer,Composer
Adam Cuthbert   Licensing,Marketing
Andrew McKenna Lee   Soundtrack Producer,Engineer,Mixing,Editing
Julia Wolfe   Executive Producer
Kenny Savelson   Executive Producer
Anne Waldman   Liner Notes,Librettist
Tommy Simpson   Engineer
Reuben Cohen   Mastering
William S. Burroughs   Text
Michael Gordon   Executive Producer
Thurston Moore   Liner Notes
Jim Lang   Engineer
David Lang   Executive Producer
Matthew Soltesz   Photography
D.M. Stith   Graphic Design,Art Direction
David Tranchina   Engineer
Matthew Setzer   Engineer
Daniel Corral   Engineer
Bill Murphy   Label Manager
Michael McQuilken   Engineer