Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein has given birth to classic films, stage plays and musicals. In the case of composer Gregg Kallor, her writing inspired him to write an opera.

His Frankenstein has its world premiere with Arizona Opera giving performances October 13th – 15th in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center and October 21st and 22nd at the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson.

The Tell-Tale Heart, his work for piano, cello and voice inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s story had is world premiere in 2016 and is being performed by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York on October 31st.

Kallor has been working on this opera for six years – longer than any other project he’s created. In 2017 he, along with director Sarah Meyers who first suggested Kallor read Frankenstein, presented sketches of the opera in a Brooklyn Catacomb.

Recently I spoke with Kallor about the process of making his Frankenstein come to life. What follows are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, please go to our YouTube channel.

Q: You never read Frankenstein before it was given to you. Subsequently you read it two additional times before you ever started writing any music. During those three readings of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein what did you personally find in the story that resonated most with you? 

I think the thing that maybe spoke to me the most was this sense of otherness. The creature is perceived as other by Victor, his creator, by all of the humans with whom he comes into contact, and he’s persecuted for it. He’s treated horribly by everybody because he looks different. All they know about him is how he looks and the resonance of that.

I don’t think there’s anybody alive or who’s ever lived who can’t in some way identify with that feeling of being perceived as other, whether it’s on the basis of their skin color or their religious beliefs or their gender or political views; whatever the thing is. It’s all about empathy and the lack of empathy and the tragedy of what happens when we don’t treat others with empathy.

Is there something that you found of yourself in what Mary Shelley wrote, or are you finding a way of expressing yourself through what you’re writing as an interpretation of what Mary Shelley wrote?

There are aspects of the story with which I identify or which resonate personally. I think there’s also a piece of it that I feel a strong connection to Mary Shelley herself. She, in very subtle, beautiful ways, put herself in the story, but very much behind the curtain.

Her initials in the letters that frame the novel and some of the life circumstances mirror her own. The idea that she’s offering this tale to people to get them to think about this kind of relationship to other people. And how they view others and how they’re treated and loss and grief.

I just love the idea that she’s that she created this incredibly captivating tale. It feels like she’s trying to lead us to a place with more heart. So I think maybe that’s the strongest piece that I find a little bit of myself trying to emulate what she’s done.

We’re supposed to understand that this creature is deserving of the same kind of empathy we ourselves would like to get. What do you believe is the role of empathy and understanding of, or for, the people who don’t understand the monster?

We can’t control our visceral responses, right? That’s beyond our control. What is within our ability to control is what happens next. Rather than instantly reacting with violence, or in some way that’s harsh or callous, is to just take a second and recognize, okay, I’m having this feeling. Am I actually threatened right now or is it just I’m not quite certain what’s happening? Can we can we pause for one second and just try to understand. For me, that’s what empathy is: trying to understand what’s happening there.

Just making it through the day is a challenge for a lot of people. That wears us down and can overwhelm our ability just to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes for a second. I’ve been finding that no matter what I’m going through in my own life, if I assume that everybody I meet is going through at least that much, then that’s a really good starting place.

Is empathy something that can be written into music or do you hope the totality of the libretto and the music leads us there naturally?

I do hope, of course, that the totality of the piece will lead us there. But I have tried very hard to infuse certain interactions with whatever musical feeling of empathy I could find in that circumstance that felt right. I think it is possible to do that. I know it is possible to do that and I hope that I’ve been able to achieve it.

You’re using primarily Mary Shelley’s text for this opera. The way Mary Shelley wrote it – the first edition was published in 1818 – is very different than the way we speak or the way we express ourselves today. Just as you don’t write the same way as Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata which came out the same year as Frankenstein. What was your approach to marrying a 200-year old text with contemporary compositional technique? 

I spent a lot of time thinking about this. Her prose is beautiful. But you’re right, it’s not only a little bit foreign to contemporary ears, parts of it would be challenging to set to music. Wherever I was able to keep her precise phrases or sentences I did – if I felt there wouldn’t be a disconnect for our ears now. Happily, I was able to keep a lot of it.

But it took me a while to feel comfortable that I wasn’t actually mutilating her work, but rather translating it. I tweaked here and there to simplify the language, but to very much try to convey the essence of her ideas. Just to translate it into contemporary vernacular. But there are many direct quotes both from the novel and from her journals. That was actually one of the most fascinating parts of the process, how do I keep Mary Shelley’s voice in this translation of her work.

What does bringing your perspective allow you to say that complements what Mary Shelley had to say? We do live in a very different world for obvious reasons than she lived in 205 years ago.

And yet in some ways very little has changed. What I hope to bring to it is really just a different experience of her work of genius. As you said, the novel’s over 200 years old and the prose is quite stylized and can be dense. I love it. I think once you find its rhythm, it’s gorgeous and it’s so rich. So my hope is that through music, through the staging, it just speaks to people in a way that they might not have experienced in any other way. And that it moves them in some way.

We’ve talked about what Mary Shelley wanted to tell and express in the story, how resonant it is today and how there are universal themes. What would you like your role to be vis-a-vis Frankenstein in expanding that narrative and expanding that narrative in an art form that previously hasn’t seen or heard this story?

I’d like to be a champion of Mary Shelley’s story. So that people who haven’t yet experienced it can. Because I believe so firmly that it will speak to them. I hope my translation of it in this musical form speaks to them. I think there may be no greater compliment than having this opera, this music, get people excited about reading Mary Shelley’s novel. I want to be a point of connection between people and the novel. Hopefully that point of connection will include the music that I’ve written and that the cast and this company are bringing to life very well.

What have you gotten out of the creation of your own Frankenstein? 

Incredible stimulation. I have learned so much as a composer, as a collaborator [and] as a human. This is the largest, the most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on. We’ll find out in a couple of weeks if it’s successful on an artistic level. But on a personal level, the process has been incredible.

Honestly, it’s been very difficult at times. The highs have been unbelievable. The evolution of going from working alone to collaborating with individuals to collaborating with groups; each phase of it I learn more. Not just about the music and the libretto, but also my approach to each phase of it and my approach to collaboration. 

This project has seen me through six years of life now and a lot of life has happened in that time. So at times it’s been a lifeline to me to have this to work on. At other times it’s been a burden when there have been deadlines and my attention is in different places. But in all ways it’s now a central component of who I am. Which is an odd thing to have one’s soul or identity so wrapped up with something that I can’t even touch. But it’s given me a rich experience and a lot of personal growth.

To see the full interview with Gregg Kallor, please go here.

Main Photo: Arizona Opera’s production of Frankenstein by Gregg Kallor (Photo by Tim Trimble Photography/Courtesy Arizona Opera)

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My top pick this weekend is Boston Lyric Opera’s new film, directed by James Darrah, of The Fall of the House of Usher. This is a mixed-media film set to the Philip Glass/Arthur Yorinks opera. By the way, you’ll see Darrah’s name several times in these listings.

We have jazz, dance, classical music, new classical music, family-friendly theatre, very mature subject matter and some show tunes.

So let’s get to it. Here are the Best Bets: January 29th – January 31st:

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Hélène Grimaud with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra – Debuts January 29th – 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST – Available through May 31st

Pianist Hélène Grimaud joins conductor Nicholas McGegan and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466. The concert also includes a performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550.

Grimaud released her album The Messenger last year which features her performing this concerto with Camerata Salzburg. As she’s one of our finest pianists performing and recording today, this is a concert certain to please all fans of Mozart and classical piano.

The cost to stream this concert is $10, but does allow for streaming through May 31, 2021.

TOP PICK: OPERA: The Fall of the House of Usher – Boston Lyric Opera – Debuts January 29th

When I recently spoke with director/designer James Darrah he made it clear how he wanted to bring new ideas to opera and classical music. This film he directed of Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher is definitely an example of him doing just that.

Darrah combines hand-drawn animation, stop-motion film, and archival footage to tell this Edgar Allan Poe story.

Collaborating with Glass, as his librettist, was Arthur Yorinks.

This 93-minute film opens with the line, “Not what you expected?” If a traditional performance film is what you expected, perhaps this isn’t for you. Screenwriter Raúl Santos sets a young immigrant girl detained at the United States border within the opera. There is also a warning at the start of the film that certain images and scenes might be too intense for younger viewers.

The Fall of the House of Usher features Chelsea Basler, Jorgeandrés Camargo, Christon Carney, Jesse Darden, Daniel Belcher with David Angus conducting the score.

The design team includes Production Designer Yuki Izumihara; Director of Photography Pablo Santiago; Costume and Doll Designer Camille Assaf; Art Director/Lead Designer Yee Eun Nam; Lead Animator Will Kim; Associate Animator Jian Lee and Lead Illustrator Rodrigo Muñoz.

The rental cost to stream the film is $10 and allows for streaming for a period of seven days. I had a chance to see The Fall of the House of Usher and can tell you it is well worth the money. And for those who don’t think they like opera, give this a chance. This film with surprise you. That’s why it is our Top Pick this week.

MUSICALS: RW Quarantunes – Center Theatre Group – January 29th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

You never know who will show up in this celebration of Broadway. Father and daughter Richard and Demi Weitz have been doing Zoom parties for their celebrity friends (he’s a partner at WME). Amongst those who have participated in previous RWQuarantunes have been Boy George, Josh Groban, Nathan Lane, John Legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Randy Newman, Bernadette Peters, Rod Stewart and Rufus Wainwright.

Whoever the guests are for this Center Theatre Group Fundraiser, they are going to be performing songs from The Book of Mormon, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and more. Given CTG’s history and reputation, I’d expect some pretty high-caliber participants.

There is no charge to view the show, but you must register for it. As this is a fundraiser, donations are strongly encouraged.

PLAY: The James Baldwin Project – Broadway on Demand – Now – January 31st

Hub Theatre Group from Lubbock, Texas created a project celebrating writer James Baldwin called The James Baldwin Project. Their show, The Dream Unrealized, part of that project, is streaming through the end of this weekend as part of Broadway on Demand’s Martin Luther King, Jr. programming.

This film features actors Alex Hairston (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Tayler Harris, Jenny Laroche and Judine Somerville (Hairspray) reciting Baldwin’s words and adding their own stories to them. This combination yields a powerful message about how little change there has been since Baldwin was alive.

There is a $5 fee to stream The James Baldwin Project.

FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT: Grimmz Fairy Tales – Broadway on Demand – Now – March 30th

Hip-hop meets Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel and Cinderella is this show from the Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. Creators Ron Lee McGill and Rahsheem Shabazz take on the persona of Jay and Will Grimmz in this family-friendly 71-minute show currently available through Broadway on Demand.

McGill, in an interview last year with the The Charlotte Post, said of the songs they created for Grimmz Fairy Tales, “We want to make this for everyone, not just for kids, but something that everybody—the family—can collectively come together and enjoy this.”

Streaming the show costs $23.54 and allows for 72 hours of viewing.

OPERA: Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier – Royal Opera House – Now – February 6th

Conducted by Antonio Pappano; starring Jonas Kaufmann, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Željko Lučić and Denyce Graves. This David McVicar production is from the 2014-2015 season.

Giordano’s opera had its world premiere in Milan in 1896. It features a libretto by Luigi Illica and is inspired by the life of the poet André Chénier who was executed during the French Revolution.

A love triangle is ultimately at the center of this opera. Chénier says one too many things in the presence of Maddalena, Countess di Coigny’s daughter, about the imbalance between the French government and the poverty that has trapped so many of his countrymen. This is just prior to the French Revolution.

Half a decade later, Carlo Gérard, who was a footman to the now executed King Louis XVI and was influenced by Chénier’s talk, is now a leading political figure. The poet, however, is not in their good graces. This interrupts his plans to meet a young woman with whom he has been corresponding. That turns out to be Maddalena. Though she and Chénier are in love, Gérard also has his eyes on her. Politics and passion collide leading to the poet’s execution.

Tim Ashley, in his review for The Guardian, raved about Kaufmann. “Kaufmann is performing the title role for the first time, and it’s hard to imagine him bettered. His striking looks make him very much the Romantic and romanticised outsider of Giordano’s vision. His voice, with its dark, liquid tone, soars through the music with refined ease and intensity: all those grand declarations of passion, whether political or erotic, hit home with terrific immediacy. His acting is superb, too…”

Tickets to stream the opera are £3 or approximately $4.15 (at press time)

JAZZ: Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Pedrito Martinez – SFJAZZ – January 29th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

If you like your jazz on the Cuban side, you won’t want to miss seeing pianist/composer Gonzalo Rubalcaba and conguero Pedrito Martinez in this SFJAZZ concert from 2017.

This concert, part of the weekly Fridays at Five series, will definitely not leave you sitting still. This is a great way to start the weekend.

You’ll need either a monthly membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60) to view this concert. But given how much great music you’ll get for your investment, it’s well worth the money.

OPERA: Lumee’s Dream – LA Opera – January 29th – February 11th

p r i s m, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by composer Ellen Reid and librettist Roxie Perkins, is the inspiration for this new film by the opera’s direct James Darrah. (He’s obviously been busy.) Here he takes a small moment from the opera and turns it into a long-form sensory experience.

There is no charge to watch Lumee’s Dream. You will need to register at LA Opera.

While you’re there, you can still catch Darrah’s film of p r i s m. That’s also free and will remain available through February 8th.

BALLET: La Fille mal gardée – The Royal Ballet – January 29th – February 27th

A love story between Lise and a young farmer, Colas, is the centerpiece of this ballet choreographed by Frederick Ashton. This ballet had its world premiere in 1960.

The translation of the title is The Wayward Daughter. Clearly her parents aren’t too keen on her taste in men. Or in this case, her widowed mother.

Ashton based this work on a 1789 ballet by Jean Dauberval. The music was adapted by John Lanchberry from an 1828 score by Ferdinand Hérold.

This production is from 2015 with Barry Wordsworth conducting members of the Royal Opera Orchestra. Natalia Osipova dances the role of Lise. Steven McRae dances the role of Colas. The role of Lise’s mother is danced by Philip Mosley.

Tickets to stream the opera are £3 or approximately $4.15 (at press time)

NEW CLASSICAL MUSIC: Mother of Bravery – Close Quarters #7 – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – January 29th – Debuts at 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

Composer Derrick Spiva Jr. is both the curator of this edition of LACO’s Close Quarters episode and also the composer of both works being given their world premiere performances.

Mother of Bravery was commissioned by LACO. The other work is Mind the Rhythm (For Amplified Violin and Electronics). Each work is 10-11 minutes.

As with other Close Quarters films, this will not be a traditional performance video. James Darrah (I told you he was busy) is the director/designer of the accompanying film.

Spiva is a fascinating composer and this series has proven essential. I wouldn’t miss this (and you don’t have to watch it just at the premiere time – it will remain available.) There’s no charge to watch the film.

OPERA: La Traviata – San Francisco Opera – January 30th – January 31st

Conducted by Nicola Luisotti; starring Nicole Cabell and Stephen Costello. This John Copley production is from the 2013-2014 season.

Alexandre Dumas fils (the son of the author of The Three Musketeers) wrote the play, La Dame aux camélias on which Verdi’s opera is based. Francesco Maria Piave wrote the libretto for La Traviata which had its world premiere in Venice in 1853.

In the opera, Violetta, who is in declining health, throws an opulent party. At this party she is introduced to Alfredo by her lover, Baron Douphol. When signs of failing health get noticed by Alfredo, he encourages her to give up her lavish lifestyle. He also admits his great love for Violetta. A love triangle is now in play. From there the opera tells the story of a woman who sacrifices everything to live life on the edge.

DANCE: Search(light) – Kinesis Project dance theatre – January 30th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST and 8:30 PM EST/5:30 PM PST

Two sets of dancers will be performing this work…twice. One set will be at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York and the other set will be at the Kay White Hall at Vashon Center for the Arts on Vashon Island, Washington. This will be a pair of live performances with the dancers being accompanied by music by Sandbox Percussion and violinist Kristin Lee.

Kinesis Project’s main focus has been on site-specific productions. Search(light), utilizing two different sites, was inspired by Melissa Riker’s experience watching fisherman in Seattle. Riker is the artistic director of Kinesis Project dance theatre.

The New York cast includes Claudia-Lynn Rightmire, Therese Ronco, Jeimin Yang, Sumaya Mulla-Carrillo, and Nicole Truzzi. The Seattle cast includes Lorraine Lau, Kimberly Holloway, Hendri Walujo, Robert Moore, Margaret Behm, Madeline Morser. 

Rather than responding through a website, interested viewers should e-mail: Kinesis_RSVP@icloud.com.

The event is free, but donations are encouraged with a suggested donation of $15.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Holocaust Remembrance – New West Symphony – January 31st – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

This concert, part of a worldwide series of events for Holocaust Remembrance Week honoring the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust, features music that will be very familiar and some selections less so.

Michael Christie leads the Jerusalem String Quartet and pianist Daniel Vnukowski as guest artists.

New West Symphony members violinist/Concertmaster Alyssa Park; violist Phillip Triggs and clarinetist Joshua Ranz also perform.

The program features John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List; Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words, Op. 67, No. 2; Brahms’ String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67; Schulhoff’s Five pieces for String Quartet; Kovács’ Sholem-alekhim, rov Feldman!; Szpilman’s Mazurka; Weinberg’s Sonata No. 1 fur Viola Solo, Adagio; Ryterband’s Suite Polonaise – Oberek and concludes with Williams’ Remembrance from Schindler’s List.

Tickets to stream the concert are $25.

PLAY: Hi, Are You Single? – Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with IAMA Theatre Company – January 31st – February 28th

Even with technology making everything seemingly readily available, finding someone to hook up with isn’t always as easy as you might think. Consider having an above-average sex drive, being gay and having cerebral palsy. That just increased the degree of difficultly exponentially.

Ryan J. Haddad stars in this one-man show that he also wrote. It allows him to explore the challenges faced not just in getting laid, but in perhaps finding the right person with whom to fall in love. This isn’t a work of fiction, it is an autobiographical show.

As you might imagine, I wouldn’t recommend this as family fare. This is adult material. But it should be enlightening, entertaining and perhaps uplifting.

Tickets are $15 to stream the show, but only if purchased by January 31st prior to the first show at 9:01 PM PST. After that tickets will be $20. Tickets will allow for 48 hours of streaming the show.

That concludes the official list of Best Bets: January 29th – January 31st. But, I do have a few reminders:

In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on PBS has two episodes on Friday, January 29th: Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl and Musicals and the Movies. Check your local listings for exact start times.

If you live in the Los Angeles area, the 20th annual Dance Camera West festival is taking place in Santa Monica. You can get the details in our preview here.

Metropolitan Opera closes out their Antiheroes Week with performances of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer on Friday; Verdi’s Rigoletto on Saturday and Verdi’s Macbeth on Sunday.

This concludes my Best Bets: January 29th – January 31st. That’s a busy and exciting way to close out the first month of 2021. Enjoy your weekend.

Main Photo: An image from The Fall of the House of Usher (Courtesy Boston Lyric Opera)

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So here’s the recipe. The story is by Poe. The Black Cat was a short story originally published by The Saturday Evening Post in 1843. It tells the story of a condemned man of questionable sanity. Instead of telling the story about his crime, he tells a story about a black cat. But through telling the feline’s story, he ultimately reveals the crime he has indeed committed.

One part of the music comes from Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantatas. The other part of the music comes from English singer/songwriter David Sylvian. He was part of the glam rock band Japan that arrived on the scene in the early 1970s. The band called in quits in the early 1980s and Sylvian went solo. His collaboration with Ryuichi Sakomoto lead to his highest-charting single, Forbidden Colors (from the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.)

The Black Cat runs 80 minutes without an intermission and stars Nichols Mulroy. There are also two dancers, Sylvia Camarda and Jean-Guillame Weis. The production is directed by Frank Hoffman and has a very cinematic sensibility.

If you like your opera more adventurous and less traditional, this may be the production for you.

Photo by boshua/Courtesy of Long Beach Opera

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