Work Samples - Opera, Concert, Digital
The scope of Resonance Works programming is purposefully broad, including fully staged opera, a wide variety of concert work, and now digital and hybrid programming. The three videos below show a sampling of this range from the past several seasons.
OPERA - DVOŘÁK'S RUSALKA
In May 2018, Resonance Works presented the Pittsburgh premiere of Dvořák’s Rusalka, the story of a water nymph who sacrifices everything for the love of a human Prince. Known for its famous “Song to the Moon”, Rusalka is a mythical masterpiece that draws inspiration from Slavic mythology (with many similarities to Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.) As this was also the first production in Pittsburgh of an opera in Czech, we made wonderful connections with the strong Slavic community in the area, including the honorary Czech consulate. Our Rusalka received not only critical acclaim, but also a large number of outstanding audience comments about our cast and the production overall.
Rusalka was presented with the generous support of the Heinz Endowments.
Audience Feedback:
“Close to a perfect performance. Congratulations!"
"I can't tell you how much I loved Rusalka! It is one of my all-time favorite operas, and I thought your production of it was just stunning."
"This was my first opera. I loved it - thank you!"
“I'm relatively inexperienced with opera and completely new to Resonance Works, but this was amazing. I'll come to more.”
“Thanks so much for presenting this rarely heard work; well done!!”
SITE SPECIFIC CONCERT - LITTLE MATCH GIRL PASSION
Resonance Works presented the Pittsburgh premiere of David Lang’s little match girl passion on March 17 & 18, 2018 in the intimate chapel at Homewood Cemetery. Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, this modern masterpiece tells the beloved Hans Christian Andersen story in the form of a passion, taking direct inspiration from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. The program also featured Lorna McGhee, principal flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, playing works by Bach and Bernstein, and works combining our Resonance Chamber Orchestra and Festival Chorus with vocal and instrumental soloists. Performances were preceded by a short musical prelude and walking tour highlighting the oldest section of the cemetery, dating back to 1878. The prelude and tour were free to the public.
Both performances sold out, and a large number of patrons took part in the prelude and cemetery tour. In our post-performance audience surveys, only 4% indicated that they were previously familiar with the repertoire, but the vast majority said it was "Excellent and Loved it!"
little match girl passion was presented with support of A.W. Mellon Fund of the Pittsburgh Foundation
Reviews:
“a stunning site-specific experience born of a well-conceived partnership with Homewood Cemetery”
Resonance Works delivers strong Pittsburgh premiere of 'little match girl passion':
“Resonance Works Pittsburgh has demonstrated an innovative streak in its musical programming, earning its own niche in the city’s concert landscape… Choir and soloists attended to the shivering, almost primal chant-like text-settings with reverence, conjuring a sense of bleakness and slowly transforming their sound into one of tenderness and warmth.”
DIGITAL & HYBRID - RESONANCE WORKS ON DEMAND
Resonance Works has successfully ventured into the digital space since the COVID-19 pandemic brought live performances to a halt for over a year and a half. This has taken a variety of forms, including co-founding the Decameron Opera Coalition and commissioning our first short opera films, Digital Encores of live performances, and larger film projects.
This trailer reel includes a sampling of the digital work that is currently streaming in our On Demand Catalog.
Trailers included in this video:
0:06 - HEROES - world premiere opera film anthology created with the Decameron Opera Coalition in 2021
2:45 - Back to the Future Digital Encore of live performances presented in November 2021
3:54 - Tales from a Safe Distance - world premiere opera film anthology created with the Decameron Opera Coalition in 2020, now in the Library of Congress
5:59 - Verdi by Vegetables - the first Vegetable Puppet Opera Movie! Feature-length film examining the life and complete works of the iconic composer, with contributions from 38 Resonance Works artists and over 110 produce puppets.