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The late Pauline Oliveros is having her moment. How Long Beach Opera is making it even bigger

BBG News

During a discussion about its forthcoming season, Long Beach Opera’s interim managing director cheerfully declares their motto: “We’re more than just another Met!

In a field often resistant to subtlety, this slogan is surprisingly modest. The longest-standing opera company in the Los Angeles region and America’s oldest provider of continually innovative opera is preparing for an unprecedentedly bold season. This will be the most unyielding term in the calendar of any company of its stature or claimed purpose, anywhere – period.

Marjorie Beale currently serves as interim managing director, but previously held the position of board president before choosing to step down in order to help guide the company through a new phase following years of administrative upheaval. Having been a professor specializing in European intellectual history and critical theory at UC Irvine, she now focuses on inspiring change within the realm of revolutionary opera.

At a lively lunch, I’ll be conferring with James Darrah, the Artistic Director and Chief Creative Officer of LBO, as well as Music Director Christopher Rountree. My initial inquiry will be: “What led to the decision of dedicating an entire season to Pauline Oliveros?

Rountree: “I don’t know the answer.”

Darrah: “I don’t know that there is an answer.”

Beale: “It’s like it came from deep inside all of us.”

In that instant, it felt as though something special was in the air. Then, Jim posed a question to me: “What if everything is just about Pauline and there’s nothing more?” For me, that would be an absolute delight.

Darrah: “Weirdly it felt like what we should be doing. It’s why I came to Long Beach.”

Beale: “I was overjoyed.”

Could we ask Beale about the number of board members she may have unsettled, given that even a performance from such an avant-garde composer might unnerve the bravest opera boards in these days of artistic and financial prudence?

Beale replies cheerfully. She mentions that during the holiday season, she was charmingly communicating with supporters and contributors through her Christmas greetings. It seems many of them are now more favorable towards us. Beale further remarks, “I’d describe our board as quite resilient.

The LBO team firmly believes that since the passing of Oliveros in 2016 at the age of 84, her influence has expanded significantly, leading us to a time that clearly embodies an “Oliveros moment.” Known as a groundbreaking composer of electronic music, she was also a pioneering, spiritual accordionist. She was a trailblazing feminist and lesbian composer. She was a pioneer in academia, serving as a professor at Mills College in Oakland, UC San Diego, and other institutions, inspiring many daring musicians of today. Notable followers of Oliveros include renowned flutist Claire Chase, who will serve as the music director for this year’s Ojai Music Festival. Once considered an outsider, Oliveros is now widely respected within the musical community.

But opera?

Oliveros, in contrast to conventional opera composers, was more about creating breathtaking auditory experiences. Drawn by the enigmatic echoes in vast underground caves, she coined the term “deep listening” as a means to counteract the escalating noise pollution in our world. She realized that sustained sounds, whether soothing or jarring, possess an immediate capacity to redefine our perception of existence. Moreover, she encouraged us to pay attention to the subtle sounds of nature itself.

Through examining scenarios where musicians express their deep understanding of how sounds impact and resonate with others, as well as the joy derived from these reactions, her performances are strikingly dynamic. Given Oliveros’ penchant for provocation, keen wit, relentless focus on process, and uncanny ability to attribute human qualities to any sound, it’s not difficult to transform her works, particularly those with text, into immersive theatrical experiences.

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When Oliveros labeled a composition as “Beethoven Was a Lesbian,” she provoked (and puzzled) the creativity of performers and spectators in equal measure. Subsequently, she hinted at the evolution towards opera, whether or not she explicitly used that term. This innovative musical thinking is the very same spirit that motivated Rountree to establish his groundbreaking new-music ensemble Wild Up 15 years ago. It’s this exact approach that Darrah, who also oversees UCLA’s opera program, believes is crucial for the progression of opera.

Beale’s reaction to those doubting it as opera is: “It doesn’t make a difference.” Nine years ago, she recollects the striking, ethereal beauty of Oliveros’ works at the Ojai festival, which were presented by Peter Sellars at Meditation Mountain. This experience made her understand their profound messages about healing, unity, and restoration. “I knew we needed to organize something similar immediately,” Beale expressed.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Oliveros’ music resonated strongly with distant musicians who collaborated through Zoom, much like how “Ringing for Healing” by Oliveros was embraced in a New York street protest performance. This is because her work fostered unity and healing, two elements that were particularly valuable during challenging times.

Darrah and Rountree are particularly interested in exploring the possibilities within the realm of opera. “Let’s establish an opera-focused institution similar to Black Mountain College in Los Angeles,” suggests Darrah, alluding to the innovative North Carolina college that was home to artists like Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage.

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The Martha Graham Dance Company underscores the fact that our city is constantly evolving, whether it’s through events like the Palisades and Eaton fires, or simply as part of its natural progression.

I’m quoting Darrah here: “It’s as if Jamie Barton, instead of singing Azucena, performs Oliveros.” To clarify, this isn’t referring to the New York Metropolitan Opera where Jamie Barton is a mezzo-soprano starring in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”. Instead, she will be singing whatever animal character is required in Oliveros’ “El Relicario de los Animales”, a production set at Heritage Square Museum on Feb 15 and 16.

A musical composition featuring a female vocalist and a 20-piece instrumental group encourages performers to express the enchanting symphony of animal life and nature within a mystical harmonic dimension. Darrah has introduced an additional singer, Brenda Rae, who is renowned for her work in traditional repertoire, and she will also play percussion as part of the ensemble.

At the 1979 CalArts Contemporary Music Festival, the piece “Relicario” was premiered and will be the initial opera among the three operas attributed to Oliveros that Long Beach Opera (LBO) will present. Last summer, LBO experimentally introduced one of Oliveros’ renowned works, “bye bye butterfly,” as a prelude to their Oliveros concept. This eight-minute electronic piece from 1965, which samples Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly,” is often seen as a symbol of women’s roles in society. In LBO’s interpretation, they transformed this work into an interactive and lively group improvisation where Puccini’s heroine is enveloped by fluctuating sine waves.

In December, LBO presented a prelude to the upcoming season with the production of “Earth Ears” at the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro. The performance started outdoors, where Darrah and Rountree noticed an astounding five-second echo originating from the cliffs of Rancho Palos Verdes from a distance. For the indoor segment of the show, the room was adorned with torn paper (Prairie T. Trivuth will be responsible for designing the set for all Oliveros productions). Instruments were strategically placed throughout the room and among the audience, allowing musicians to engage in dynamic interactions suggested by the music score while also maintaining enough flexibility for unexpected events to unfold.

According to Rountree, he found himself pondering whether the rules set by Oliveros compel musicians towards introspection and quietness, or if they resist such tendencies. He also questioned whether there is space for the tension between these two extremes within those rules.

During the rehearsal, everyone adhered to the rules and there was a sense of radiance in the air, much like night music guiding us towards an unseen destination. However, as we concluded the rehearsal, I realized that our destination remained elusive. I pondered, if it materializes, it will; if not, it won’t. It would travel where it desired or forever remain on the horizon.

However, throughout the show, an improvised jazz passage intertwined with another unique reaction created quite a dramatic scene. The atmosphere was thick with shared amazement from the spectators.

In summary, Rountree suggests that since the focus is on dedication and involvement in the task at hand, one might as well give it their all entirely. To truly immerse oneself, he proposes, is to dive headfirst and commit completely, submerging oneself wholly into the work.

Two additional projects include “The Library of Maps: An Opera in Many Parts,” a 2001 collaboration with poet Moira Roth initially conceived as a concert piece to be transformed into an opera in April on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and “The Nubian Word for Flowers: A Phantom Opera” scheduled for July (location yet to be decided). This is Oliveros’ most operatic work, first presented as a work-in-progress by Yuval Sharon and the Industry at the Hammer Museum in 2013, with Rountree and Wild Up participating. The upcoming LBO production marks the West Coast premiere of a chamber (or pocket) version featuring a libretto by Oliveros’ partner, Ione.

In the following two seasons, Beale mentions, the company plans to debut an opera by Shelley Washington alongside some classic operas. Darrah is eager to direct Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte,” but discussions about its inclusion this season with Oliveros additions were shelved due to potential competition with Los Angeles Opera’s production of Mozart’s opera in March and Yuval Sharon’s Detroit Opera staging in April. Darrah assures his unique twists will still be present.

For the next two seasons, Beale indicates that the company intends to introduce an opera by Shelley Washington along with some traditional operas. Darrah is keen on directing “Così Fan Tutte” by Mozart, but discussions about presenting it this season with additions by Oliveros were put aside because of potential rivalry with Los Angeles Opera’s production in March and Yuval Sharon’s Detroit Opera staging in April. However, Darrah guarantees his creative innovations will still be incorporated.

In the meantime, Beale says she is determined to use Oliveros as “a kind of giant reset.”

Stepping outside “Earth Ears” accompanied by Darrah and Rountree, she observed the sun dip below the horizon, casting its golden glow on the ocean. The trio remained silent, simply taking in the breathtaking sight.

She remarks, “This appears to be our initial endeavor that’s not a repetition or echo of something from the past.” Now, we’re excitedly anticipating what future experiences we’ll share.

We’re truly following through with our commitments, showing no hesitation or shyness. Instead, we’re taking bold action.

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2025-02-05 14:37

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