From 8 am on November 15th to 18th, Armstrong Music and Art Management Co., Ltd. and Poly Strong (Beijing) International Art Communication Co., Ltd. will cooperate with BesTV, Poly Cloud Theater and other platforms to launch Gordon Getty in Asia for a limited time. The new opera “The Master of All Worlds”.
“The Master of All Worlds” is the fourth opera created by the composer Gordon Getty and will have its world premiere on November 14, 2021 (US time). The work will be shown in the main theater of the Smith Raphael Film Center of California Film Academy in the form of screening, and will be presented jointly by the Napa Valley Music Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival.
1. A touching story about love and kindness
Gordon Getty’s fourth opera “Master of the Worlds (also: Goodbye, Mr. Chips”) is based on James Hilton’s 1934 novel “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”. This opera tells the touching story of a teacher at Brookfield School, and Chips dedicated most of his adult life to this all-boys British boarding school. The opera chronicles the stories of Chips’ love, loss and learning during his decades in Brookfield.
The composer Gordon Getty came into contact with this story early through the film. After reading the entire book for the first time a few years ago, he fell in love with the work and Hilton’s elegant prose. Getty said: “This is a very touching story. The protagonist is a very kind person, who I want to try to be.”
2. A new attempt under the epidemic
In this opera, tenor Nathan Granner plays Mr. Chips, soprano Marnie Breckenridge plays Casey (Chipps’ wife) and Linford (voice), and the baritone Rice Lynch played Doctor Merivale, and bass Kevin Short played Roston and Sir Rivers, both of whom are now active artists in major theaters and opera festivals. The performance was directed by Nico Paianman, and members of the New York City Youth Choir performed the boarding school students.
The opera was originally scheduled to be staged at the Napa Valley Music Festival in July 2020, but due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, the premiere was shelved. Getty and his creative team did not choose to wait for the chance to re-enact, but made a new attempt. The team first asked the artists to record in the recording studio, and then took the corresponding shooting. The artists and the New York City Youth Choir filmed in San Francisco and New York respectively. The members of the choir vividly appeared in Chips’ memories of them in the form of projections. In addition, the opera shooting location is located in the hangar in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, which is also different from previous shooting locations.
3. It will be launched in Asia from 8 a.m. on November 15th
In 2018, Gordon Getty’s “Gufeng Suite” was performed by the Russian National Symphony Orchestra during a tour in China. The composer himself also watched performances in Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing, and the audience’s enthusiasm left a deep impression on him. This time Gordon Getty’s work can be released simultaneously in Asia. The composer himself said: Even though we are so far apart, we can all watch this work simultaneously. I am very happy to share our brand new work with you. opera.
Regarding the introduction of the opera, Zhang Wei, Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Music and Art Management Co., Ltd. and Executive General Manager of Paulistron (Beijing) International Art Communication Co., Ltd. said: “We and Mr. Gordon Getty and Mr. Gordon Getty and His team has been cooperating for many years and was inspired by his sincere love for music as a world-renowned entrepreneur and economist, and his outstanding achievements. We are very happy to be able to join him this time to bring “The Master of All Worlds” to Audiences in Asia. This may be the story of the legendary teacher who has been reproduced the most in the history of film. This time it was adapted into an opera by Mr. Getty. This drama is based on the grand historical background. Warmth and humor, I hope everyone can feel the power of healing in this opera.”
On November 15th, let us experience the story of Mr. Chips together!
Composition and script: Gordon Getty
In November 2021, Gordon Getty’s fourth opera will make its world premiere. In addition to opera, he has also written works for orchestras, choirs, vocal and instrumental soloists, and chamber orchestras. The Leipzig Opera House, the Welsh National Opera, the San Francisco Opera House, the Los Angeles Opera House and the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet have performed his works. His orchestral works were also performed and recorded by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the Russian State Symphony Orchestra led by Mikhail Pletnev, and the Sir Neville Marina and St. Martin Chamber Orchestra Into an album. In 2016, director Peter Rosen filmed the documentary “There Will Be Music” for Gordon Getty. Recently, Gordon Getty won the European Culture Award and entered the American Opera Hall of Fame for the first time. He is an artist at Pentatone and his music works are published by Rork Music.
Introduction of the main actors:
Mr. Chips: Nathan Granner (tenor)
Nathan Granner is a world-renowned tenor, especially good at contemporary opera.
The San Francisco Chronicle stated that Mr. Granner’s singing had a “loud tone and excellent flexibility.” In addition to singing the poet Rudolph in Puccini’s “Artist Career”, Ferrando in Mozart’s “All Women”, and Jacob Foscari in Verdi’s “Foscari and Son”, he He has also played many roles in the world. Including Anthony Davis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work “The Central Park Five” in 2020, and the opera “The Central Park Five” by the team of Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reid Today it rains”.
As a founding member of Sony’s classical group “American Tenor”, Nathan has also achieved good results on the major charts. He has also toured as an independent artist with classical guitarist/record producer Bo Bledsoe show. They combined art songs, chants, flamenco, tango, and Turkish styles, and brought new works to performances in places such as Glendive (Montana) and Perm, Russia.
Casey and Linford (voice): Marnie Breckenridge (soprano)
Marnie Breckenridge is known for her pure tone, expressive interpretation of music scores, excellent singing skills and hierarchical role modeling. “The Globe and Mail” praised her for “every note is overflowing with personality”, “Chicago Tribune” called her “lyrical poignancy and dramatic power”, and her debut new works were widely acclaimed. So far, she has completed the world premieres of 7 new operas and has recorded many records in collaboration with contemporary composers.
In 2020, she won the DORA Awards from the Toronto Performing Arts League for her work on “Du Pré Jacqueline”. Breckenridge has worked with the San Francisco Opera House, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the British National Opera, the Los Angeles Opera House, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague National Opera, and participated in the Grindelborn Opera Festival in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Merivale: Lester Lynch (baritone)
The baritone Lester Lynch is praised by opera and concert audiences all over the world, and he is considered a true Verdi baritone. At the same time, he is also one of the most important interpreters of American spiritual songs and modern operas. Whether it is an aria or a hymn, his powerful voice and control ability give him the ability to impress audiences all over the world.
Lynch has performed in many well-known opera houses, such as La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in the United Kingdom, Schinberg Opera in Dresden, Germany, National Opera of Wales, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, British National Opera house and so on. He has also worked with world-class symphony orchestras, including the famous conductor Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and so on.
Sir Roston/Rivers: Kevin Short (bass)
The versatile bassist Kevin Short has brought exciting repertoires to audiences around the world. Kevin has performed in many operas in North America and has collaborated with symphony orchestras, such as: Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Vancouver Opera, Washington National Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra , San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra.
He has also cooperated with many European and Asian theaters and orchestras, such as: Paris Comedy Theatre, Welsh National Opera, Luxembourg Theatre, San Carlo Theatre, Bregenz Music Festival, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, French Radio Orchestra, New York Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, etc. He is the winner of the Metropolitan Opera Trials and the winner of the Verdi International Vocal Competition.
Students: New York City Youth Choir
The New York City Youth Choir is a multicultural youth choir, renowned internationally for its superb skills, outstanding performances and innovative and diverse models. The orchestra was founded by the artistic director Francisco J. Nunez, who was awarded the 2018 “Music America” Educator of the Year, and the chorus’s wonderful performances have been displayed all over the world. The choir’s repertoire spans Renaissance and classical traditions, folk, jazz, pop, contemporary and world music. At the same time, the chorus also commissioned many of the most outstanding and emerging composers of the contemporary era to create different music works, in order to inject more vitality into the chorus.
The choir has won many awards, including the highest honor of the American Youth Program-the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which was awarded by the White House. Under the guidance of the Deputy Artistic Director, the choir also won the “World Choir” award at the Katayin Mihu International Choir Festival in BC, Canada in July 2018, which is the first in the 34-year history of the choir. The North American Chorus won this title for the second time.
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