1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A really wanted to like this opera, November 6, 2011
This review is from: Harvey Milk : An Opera in 3 Acts (World Premiere Recording) (Audio CD)
Harvey Milk, the opera by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie came on the heals of several other American Operas with historical situations, Nixon in China, Death of Klinghoffer, and Phillip Glass's three semi historical pieces. I like many modern American Operas and being a Gay Man of a certain age, I desperately wanted Harvey Milk to be an opera for the ages, but its not. It seems like it might play fairly well on stage if directed well but musically it is not very interesting. The title character has 2 arias, if you can call them that. They are in that modernistic, no melody in sight style. There are important choral scenes which seem to drive the opera, where the crowd conveys all the action and the emotion, like a modern Greek chorus. Nothing in the music seems to cry out for repeated listenings. With that said, Robert Orin as Harvey Milk delivers a powerful performance. It does not seem like an easy sing, the arias are rangy and call for a great deal of baritonal power, all of which is delivered. Also making important contributions are Raymond Very as a tenor Dan White and Bradley Williams as Harvey's lover Scott Smith. Other smaller roles seem to be well taken. I imagine that this was as good a performance as this opera could ever get. I just wish that the musical content were stronger.
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