More Details

Summary:

"Courtney Bryan's Blessed is a multi-layered exploration of darkness and light, hope and love, weaving together musical recordings and film footage from New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia. Created as a response to the milestone events of 2020--the uprising in response to police brutality against Black men and women, the November election--Blessed reflects upon the Christian Bible's avowal that the meek will one day 'inherit the earth'. The constraints of creating new opera during a pandemic resulted in an innovative cross-country collaboration amongst Bryan (who also plays piano for the film), filmmaker Tiona Nekkia McClodden, soprano Janinah Burnett, vocalist Damian Norfleet, and sound designer Rob Kaplowitz. Using improvisation as a guiding principle, each artist offered original ideas in conversation with Bryan's score. The result is a deeply personal musical and visual reflection upon how to find hope during difficult times."--Program note by Opera Philadelphia on publisher's website.

Table of Contents:

• Poor
• Hope.

Author/Creator:

Bryan, Courtney , composer

Contributors:

McClodden, Tiona Nekkia , filmmaker

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

English words, also printed separately as text.
Staff notation.

Main Work:

Blessed: improvising piano and two vocalists [by Bryan, C.]

Included Works:

Blessed [by Bryan, C.] (Selections)

Related Works:

Musical setting of: Beatitudes

Alternate Titles:

Running title: Blessed are the meek

Subjects:

Operas — Excerpts — Scores

Music theater — Excerpts — Scores

Sacred vocal duets with piano

Beatitudes — Musical settings

Improvisation (Music)

Beatitudes

Music theater

Operas — Excerpts

Genres:

Art music

Improvisations (Music)

Operas

Chamber music

Sacred music

Musical settings

Excerpts

Scores

Music theater

Dramatic music

Performance Medium:

3 performers: singer (2); piano
Singer (2); piano; pre-recorded audio; visuals

General Notes:

"Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia; written for Damian Norfleet and Janinah Burnett; video by Tiona Nekkia McClodden"--Caption.
Includes guidance for improvisations and notes for use with the piano recording; details on piano or video recordings not included.

Physical Description:

1 score (9 pages) ; 31 cm

Call Numbers:

M1505.B79 B54 2023

Other Standard Numbers:

Publisher Number, Boosey & Hawkes: 530759

OCLC Numbers:

1393184589