Composer

:

Leonard Bernstein

Genre

:

Opera

Style

:

Opera

Compose Date

:

1984

Average_duration

:

148:53

A Quiet Place is an opera composed by Leonard Bernstein, with a libretto by Stephen Wadsworth. The opera was composed between 1980 and 1983, and premiered on June 17, 1983, at the Houston Grand Opera. The opera is a sequel to Bernstein's earlier work, Trouble in Tahiti, and explores the lives of the same characters twenty years later. The plot of A Quiet Place revolves around the lives of the suburban American family, the Davenports. The opera opens with the funeral of Dinah, the mother of the family, who died in a car accident. Her husband, Sam, and her children, Junior and Dede, are left to deal with the aftermath of her death. The family is dysfunctional, and the death of Dinah only exacerbates their problems. Sam is an alcoholic, and Junior is struggling with his sexuality. Dede, the only member of the family who seems to have her life together, is married to François, a Frenchman who is struggling to fit in with the family. The opera is divided into three movements. The first movement, entitled "The Story of My Life," is a flashback to the events leading up to Dinah's death. The second movement, entitled "Dinah's Bedroom," takes place in Dinah's bedroom, where the family is sorting through her belongings. The third movement, entitled "Jazz Trio," takes place in a bar, where the family members confront their issues and try to come to terms with their grief. One of the characteristics of A Quiet Place is its use of jazz music. Bernstein was known for his love of jazz, and he incorporates it into the opera in a number of ways. The opera features a jazz trio, which serves as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on the action of the opera. The music is also used to underscore the emotional states of the characters, with the music becoming more dissonant as the characters become more agitated. Another characteristic of A Quiet Place is its exploration of the American Dream. The Davenports are a quintessentially American family, living in a suburban house with a white picket fence. However, the opera shows that the American Dream is not all it's cracked up to be. The family is dysfunctional, and their problems are exacerbated by the pressure to conform to societal norms. In conclusion, A Quiet Place is a powerful opera that explores the lives of a dysfunctional American family. The opera is characterized by its use of jazz music and its exploration of the American Dream. The opera premiered in 1983 and has since become a beloved work in the operatic canon.

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