Steve Jobs Archives - Mason Bates

Paul Horsley of The Independent talks to the creators of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, ahead of its upcoming performances at The Atlanta Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

“The outstanding new opera by Composer Mason Bates and Librettist Mark Campbell employs impressionistic vignettes and reflective flashbacks to tell the life story of a man who probably had a greater impact on how we communicate today than anyone in modern history.”

“For its creators, part of this opera’s draw is that its subject is of interest to millions. “This audience is going to be made up of opera outsiders,” John Moore (Steve Jobs) said. “I am interested… in those people who don’t know they love opera discovering it through a piece like this.”

Read the full article at The Independent

*The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs at The Long Center Austin Opera, February 2022*

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs upcoming performances:

The Atlanta Opera
April 30 May 3, 6 & 8, 2022

Lyric Opera of Kansas City
March 11, 12 & 13, 2022

In the pantheon of iconic figures, very few continue to grow in influence after their death. Whether you love him or hate him, Steve Jobs made such an enduring impact on our culture that his impact has only increased since his untimely death in 2010.

His legacy reaches across industries and counties. His ‘simplicity first’ design ethos has made sleek interfaces a requirement for everything from tablets to Teslas. His fusion of creativity and technology is continuously showcased in animated films from Pixar, which he created. His cold managerial style and lack of philanthropy created a dangerous ‘genius monarchist’ model for today’s tech CEOs.

The continuing fascination with Jobs is on my mind as my opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs receives its second production in a half a dozen cities this season and next. It opens this week at Austin Opera under the direction of Tomer Zvulin, who has created a stunning reimagination of the work.

A new production means new sets, costumes, lighting and projection design – in short, new everything. The original production at Santa Fe Opera featured an ingenious ‘monoliths’ resembling enormous iPods that continuously moved around the stage. Illuminated from within and projected on like canvases, they could stack close together and resemble the four walls of Jobs’ garage, or could fly apart and become an outdoor wedding at Yosemite. This design element was the stroke of genius that guided the first production, but not every opera house can handle the crew and technical requirements of flying monoliths.

So Tomer and production designer Jacob Climer created a new multilevel set, emblazoned with dozens of flatscreens, that opens to reveal a second hidden world upstage. Animated by brilliant projection design of Katy Tucker, the set fluidly morphs into an apple orchard or Apple headquarters – and many things in between. It has an abstraction to it that emphasizes the sense that the entire opera is a sequence of memories in the mind of Jobs on his deathbed.

The Austin Opera Orchestra sounds superb under the direction of Timothy Meyers. He makes the propulsive surfaces of the opera glisten with excitement while, in the work’s last third, pulling back to let the lyricism open up. At the end, the opera shifts focus to Lauren Powell Jobs, who’s warmth brings a crucial humanity to the story. Her final aria “Look Up, Look Out” is a plea for everyone to look away from devices and strive for true connection.

Baritone John Moore so vividly creates the lead role that, by the end, you will be half-certain you are witnessing the man himself. From hippie to mogul to, tragically, a man almost unable to stand, Steve Jobs is conjured by John Moore in a superb tour-de-force. Mezzo Sarah Larsen brings to life the strong independence of Laurene, and Madison Leonard reprises the role of Chrisann with both innocence and sadness. Bass Wei Wu has created the role of Kobun, the Buddhist spiritual advisor to Jobs, from the world premiere, and he absolutely owns this important role. New to the Steve Jobs family is tenor Bille Bruley, who beautifully portrays the everyman Steve Wozniak.

I’m often amused to see the surprised look on someone’s face when hearing about the opera for the first first. “An opera about Steve Jobs?!” A technologist clad in black turtlenecks and sneakers doesn’t initially seem like a natural subject for opera, which to the general public is noble medium populated by romantics. But the story of Steve Jobs is full of passion, obsession, love, betrayal, and tragedy that is the stuff of opera – and as this new production begins its life, I hope you get a chance to see it.

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs:

Austin Opera: Feb 3, 5, 6 2022

Kansas City Opera: March 11-13 2022

Atlanta Opera: April 30 & May 3, 6, 8 2022

Posts tagged: Steve Jobs

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