index

Neo-Operas

ORFREO IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD
$15 includes shipping by priority mail (US)
Place an order by email - subject line must read ORFREO DVD

COMPOSER'S NOTES
A large part of my work revolves around opera and vocal music. I started out as a singer-songwriter. I had some opera training and later studied Indian raga singing. Only at home...I sing parts from baritone to mezzo and I do the soprano part with my head voice. What helps me the most is memorizing the sound of each and every unique voice I compose for.

Below are five neo-operas - the genre definition of these works is still controversial. For instance, Waking in New York was described by the New York Times (Kozinn) as "a lovely, effecting and affecting song cycle", and technically, that is correct, but the New York City Opera called it an opera when it featured it in the VOX festival. My neo-operas are operatic in their treatment of the voices and characters and the dramatic nature of the music, but the sound varies according to each piece, and can include computer-generated or other electronic tracks, or unusual combinations of instruments; antiquated plots are not to be found in their librettos; they can also integrate multimedia visual elements. The subjects deal with what some call the 4th dimension - collective consciousness beyond sensory perception, but the emotions are human and intense. There are settings of Verlaine, Rilke, Allen Ginsberg, Michael Andre, Sumner Carnahan, and some of my own writing. In relation to story-based opera, my librettos are like Ellsworth Kelly vs. Michelangelo, or possibly even like Duchamp vs. Picasso.

WAKING IN NEW YORK
Portrait of Allen Ginsberg,
from the poetry of Allen Ginsberg
Baritone, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano
Versions for Chamber Orchestra and and for Full Orchestra
Details

THE DEUS EX MACHINA CYCLE
or The Realm of Emotion & Experience
for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Countertenor, Baritone
and Baroque Ensemble
Details

ORFREO
The Orphic Death of Ray Johnson
Libretto by Michael Andre
Countertenor, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Bass Baritone
and Baroque Ensemble
Details

THE DEATH OF DON JUAN
An exploration of the Don Juan myth
from a feminist perspective
Computer-generated tape, 4 Sopranos, Baritone
Details

EXISTENCE
a playful journey through the history of consciousness
from an African perspective
Tenor, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Narrator
Chamber Ensemble
Details


BACK Neo-Operas Quicktime Movie: ORFREO excerpt ORFREO IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD $15 includes shipping by priority mail (US) Place an order by email - subject line must read ORFREO DVD COMPOSER'S NOTES A large part of my work revolves around opera and vocal music. I started out as a singer-songwriter. I had some opera training and later studied Indian raga singing. Only at home...I sing parts from baritone to mezzo and I do the soprano part with my head voice. What helps me the most is memorizing the sound of each and every unique voice I compose for. Below are five neo-operas - the genre definition of these works is still controversial. For instance, Waking in New York was described by the New York Times (Kozinn) as "a lovely, effecting and affecting song cycle", and technically, that is correct, but the New York City Opera called it an opera when it featured it in the VOX festival. My neo-operas are operatic in their treatment of the voices and characters and the dramatic nature of the music, but the sound varies according to each piece, and can include computer-generated or other electronic tracks, or unusual combinations of instruments; antiquated plots are not to be found in their librettos; they can also integrate multimedia visual elements. The subjects deal with what some call the 4th dimension - collective consciousness beyond sensory perception, but the emotions are human and intense. There are settings of Verlaine, Rilke, Allen Ginsberg, Michael Andre, Sumner Carnahan, and some of my own writing. In relation to story-based opera, my librettos are like Ellsworth Kelly vs. Michelangelo, or possibly even like Duchamp vs. Picasso. WAKING IN NEW YORK Portrait of Allen Ginsberg, from the poetry of Allen Ginsberg Baritone, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano Versions for Chamber Orchestra and and for Full Orchestra Details THE DEUS EX MACHINA CYCLE or The Realm of Emotion & Experience for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Countertenor, Baritone and Baroque Ensemble Details ORFREO The Orphic Death of Ray Johnson Libretto by Michael Andre Countertenor, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Bass Baritone and Baroque Ensemble Details THE DEATH OF DON JUAN An exploration of the Don Juan myth from a feminist perspective Computer-generated tape, 4 Sopranos, Baritone Details EXISTENCE a playful journey through the history of consciousness from an African perspective Tenor, Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Narrator Chamber Ensemble Details
Contact Elodie Lauten elauten@yahoo.com
Contact her representative: Jeffrey James jamesarts@worldnet.att.net
Photos: Milton Fletcher, 2007 Site design copyright Elodie Lauten 2007