The soundtrack to Monk's 1993 opera Atlas does sound incomplete without the performance. And yes, it is long and difficult. And, in terms of Monk's self-professed ambition to make this release stand alone on the strength of the music only, it is a failure. But with knowledge of the libretto (luckily summarized in the CD booklet), this recording can easily be considered one of Monk's greatest works. Portraying the story of Alexandra, an adolescent girl/adult woman with dreams of exploration, the opera portrays her travels and experiences using very few actual words -- mostly assonant syllables. Dreamy and emotive for the first "Personal Climate" section, the mood of the piece becomes at times shrill, and at other times chaotic as Alexandra travels the world in the second "Night Travel" portion of the opera. The third and final part, "Invisible Light," closes the opera with a somewhat "celestial" sounding cadence. High points include "Ice Demons," "Choosing Companions," and "Airport." by Mark Allender
Atlas, an opera in 3 parts for 18 voices & large ensemble
Part I: Personal Climate
Part Il: Night Travel
Part Ill: Invisible Light
CAST
Carlos Arévalo, Thomas Bogdan, Victoria Boosmana, Janis Brenner, Shi-Zheng Chen, Allison Easter, Robert Een, Dina Emerson, Emily Eyre, Katie Geissinger, Ching Gonzalez, Dana Hanchard, Wendy Hill, Stephen Kalm, Meedith Monk, Robert Osborne, Wilbur Pauley, Randall Wong
ORCHESTRA
Cello – Anthony Pirollo, Arthur J. Fiacco Jr.
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet – John Cipolla
French Horn – James F. Wilson
Glass Harmonica – Bill Hayes (pistas: 2-4)
Keyboards – Cynthia Powell, Steve Lockwood
Percussion – Thad Wheeler
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Shawm, Sheng, Recorder, Conductor [Orchestra] – Wayne Hankin
Viola – Kathleen Carroll
Violin – Darryl Kubian, Susan Iadone
