John Adams: World Premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary
Los Angeles Philharmonic presents premiere in concert, May 2012; international performances of staged version in 2013.
The latest large-scale work by John Adams, a full-evening oratorio for orchestra, chorus and soloists titled The Gospel According to the Other Mary, will be premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic this Spring. The first performances of The Gospel According to the Other Mary will take place in concert version, May 31–June 3, 2012, led by Gustavo Dudamel at Walt Disney Concert Hall featuring six soloists and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The staged production of the oratorio takes place in March 2013 in Los Angeles, followed by an international tour.
This new work tells the story of Mary Magdalene, and places the Biblical story in contemporary times, using elements of recent history and contemporary verse, similar to the use of materials the composer pioneered so successfully in El Niño (1999–2000). The libretto was compiled by Peter Sellars based on the New Testament stories of Lazarus and Jesus' Passion, combined with contemporary poems and texts by Dorothy Day, Louise Erdrich, Primo Levi, Rosario Castellanos, June Jordan, Hildegard von Bingen, and Rubén Darío. Three countertenors narrate through the story, joining a cast featuring a mezzo-soprano, contralto, and tenor, in addition to the orchestra and full chorus. Similar to the nativity oratorio El Niño, The Gospel According to the Other Mary is intended to co-exist as a work for the concert hall and stage. Sellars, Adams's long-time collaborator, will direct the staged production performances next season. Full performance dates are listed below.
Adams's new work is the second piece to be premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic during his tenure as Creative Chair, following City Noir in 2009. The Gospel According to the Other Mary is commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Barbican Centre, Lincoln Center, Lucerne Festival, Zaterdag Matinee at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Cité de la musique in Paris.
World Premiere
Concert Version
May 31-June 3, 2012
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano
Tamara Mumford, contralto
Russell Thomas, tenor
Daniel Bubeck, countertenor
Brian Cummings, countertenor
Nathan Medley, countertenor
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Staged Production
March 7, 8 and 10, 2013
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
March 16, 2013
Barbican Centre, London
March 20, 2013
Kultur und Kongresszentrum, Lucerne
March 23, 2013
Salle Pleyel, Paris
March 27, 2013
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York
> To view the score to The Gospel According to the Other Mary, click here.
> For more information on John Adams, click here.
> For more information and tickets to the world premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, click here.
> Further information on Work: The Gospel According to the Other Mary
Photo credit: Margaretta Mitchell