About the Composer/Librettist
THE HUNGER ART
Composer, Jeff Myers
Librettist, Royce Vavrek
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Synopsis
Scene I: In the town square at midnight
The butchers sit and watch the hunger artists, all the while commenting upon their circumstances as well as the circumstances of the hunger artists. Alfons comes into view in his cage. He begins to search through a pile of things. Alfons interrupts his search with a caterwaul of hunger pain. The butchers engage Alfons with taunts as he resumes his searching. Alfons cries out once more. The butchers ask him “What is in the bag?” Alfons finds a soiled bag. Ivona, also in the cage with Alfons, wakes up and comes into view. Alfons ruminates upon the circumstances of his art as well as his relationship to Ivona. Alfons picks up the burlap sack he spotted before. Ivona, snatches it from Alfons and hides it behind her back. This sparks a quarrel between them regarding trust. Ivona tries to change the subject by propositioning Alfons. Alfons declines due to fatigue and lack of stamina. Ivona suggests that they perform a hunger routine to build up his energy. This excites the butchers. Alfons and Ivona perform a well rehearsed number (a performance within a performance). The number is cut short with a true wail of hunger—Alfons hunches over and has to lie down. The butchers express dissatisfaction. Ivona puts Alfons to bed. She retrieves the burlap sack and pulls out an apple. She expresses her desire to eat the apple, considers her relationship to Alfons, and then returns the apple to the sack without coming to a decision.
Scene II: Ivona leaves the cage
Alfons, Jan and Milos are now asleep. Ivona leaves the cage, holding the burlap sack. Bronislav shines a flashlight on her. Ivona tries to give her apple to Bronislav for fear of giving in to her hunger. Bronislav refuses to help her, derides her and finally convinces her to “take a nibble.” Ivona takes a bite of the apple and is overwhelmed with satisfaction. Bronislav forces her back into her cage.
Scene III: Ivona re-enters the cage
Ivona re-enters the cage, inadvertently waking Alfons. Alfons takes the bag and pulls out the bitten apple. He chastises her for betraying him and breaking the fast. Ivona argues that they can go on sneaking food without anyone being the wiser. Alfons is too ethical for this and does not accept this proposition. The butchers chime in with their comments while Alfons and Ivona lament this unfortunate turn of events. Alfons, totally disgusted, screams at Ivona, “Eat Ivona, eat!” and throws her out of the cage.
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Credits:
Thomas Wazelle, tenor
Keith Chambers, piano
American Lyric Theater
The Hunger Art
a tragicomic opera in one act
Setting
The entire opera is set in Prague sometime in 1924 within the confines of a town square. Within a large cage, the two hunger artists Alfons and Ivona are starve themselves and occasionally perform “hunger routines.” Hunger is their art and the townspeople their audience. Beside the hunger artists sit three butchers: Bronislav, Jan and Milos. Their job is to ensure that the hunger artists do not eat. They sit there all night, bored, eating giant slabs of cooked meat off of large barbecue forks.
Character List
Hunger Artists
ALFONS, husband of Ivona, Lyric Tenor
IVONA, wife of Alfons, Coloratura Soprano
Chorus of Butchers
BRONISLAV, father of Milos, Bass
JAN, assistant to Bronislav, Tenor
MILOS, assistant to/son of Bronislav, Countertenor
Piano
WHO: Center City Opera Theater
WHAT: The Hunger Art
Part of
ConNEXTions (The Philly Fringe) which includes three new operas
WHEN: Friday, September 12 at 4p
Saturday, September 13 at 8p
Sunday, September 14 at 3pm
WHERE: The Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
HOW MUCH: only $20
Click here for ticket information.
Though composer Jeff Myers writes new music in the classical tradition, his research into Filipino traditional music and kulintang (Filipino gong) performance traditions has influenced his approach to rhythm and phrasing, while his research into tuning systems and temperaments has affected his use of pitch. The attraction to the works of M.C.Escher has also been a motivation behind his music.
Myers' recent foray into opera and winds ensemble music have yeilded the one-act opera The Hunger Art, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, and the large wind ensemble work Organum-Tambura. The Hunger Art merges the absurd Kafka short story "The Hunger Artist" with the Adam and Eve story from the Bible. Temptation is, in this case, an apple as nothing more than food!
Jeff Myers' music has been presented by the Aspen Music Festival, American Lyric Theater, L’Orchestre National de Lorraine, the American Composers Orchestra, PRISM Saxophone Quartet, Transit, The New York Miniaturist Ensemble, the New York Youth Symphony, Center for New Music (IA), violinist Yuki Numata and pianist Ming-Hsiu Yen. He has awards from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, BMI, Society of Composers, the Eastman School, San José State University, Austin Peay State University, as well as fellowships from Tanglewood/ASCAP, Festival Acanthes, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and grants from institutions and private funds such as the Puffin Foundation, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust, The Fromm Foundation, and the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan. His music has been heard on the radio, the internet and in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Miller Theater, The Stone, Arsenal (Metz), and the new Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ (Amsterdam). He holds degrees from San Jose State University (CA), Eastman and the University of Michigan. His composition teachers include William Bolcom, Martin Bresnick, Michael Daugherty, Betsy Jolas, Bright Sheng, and Allen Strange. Myers currently resides in New York City where he works as a freelance composer and copyist.
For more info: www.jeffmyers.info.
Royce Vavrek, librettist, graduated from New York University's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, and the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema at Concordia University, Montreal. Royce Vavrek's films include "Pig and Bear" (TELEGRAMS of the New Canadian Cinema at Frigid Fest New York), "I Will Not Be Sad Anymore" (QCFI "No Sweat" 48-hour Competition 2004 winner), and "From Sky and Soil" (Corus Young Filmmakers' Initiative). His opera credits include libretti for Nora at the Altar-Rail (American Lyric Theater) and The Hunger Art. His music theater book and lyrics include The Popesical (NYU Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program), Sexbus (Alberta Foundation for the Arts sponsored musical), and Alotta Nerve, Naomi Grubenstein! (Long Island Composers' Alliance). Royce is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America.