The Music of Lindsay D. Holliday
for
Angels in America
Tony Kushner's play - Angels in America was performed in 2000-01 under the direction of Sydney Chalfa at Macon State College. Macon, Georgia.
February 18-26, 2000 for Part 1 - Millenium Approaches. And Part-2 - Perestroika ran from Feb 22 to March 2nd, 2001. It was reviewed in the Macon Telegraph on the last day - Mar 2. All this music was written using headphones. And listening to it now, several years later, I hear a lot of things I would like to tweak if/when I get the time. But especially the reverb which works ok in headphones, is too much for playing-out through loud speakers in most rooms.
“Angels in America” and other music by Lindsay Holliday
1- Overture - "Descent" of the [aliens] Angels, Fanfare for the common man, Joyous ode to salvation, begin segue to the Jewish, the old testament sentiment as the play opens upon a Yiddish funeral service.
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2- Oboe the Rabbi - the old Rabbi, remembering the old lost ways, the lost connections, forgotten tribulations.
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3- Anglesong edit version 5 - is there a hint of a theme from Romeo and Juliet the 70s movie? Was it originally from Tchaikovsky? A piece of this melody resides in our [some of us] collective unconscious - it denotes compassion and sensitivity.
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4- America (see cut 9) - beginning with a Coplandish Fanfare overlooking the "Impressive view" from Hannah’s house for sale over Salt Lake City... segue to "A-weem-a-wak-America" - the tension is to question - What is America? and To whom are you asking the ??
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5and 6 - Shimmering - but more at simmering - this voice effect is an accident of the limits of my synthesizer - it can only voice 16 parts. When it is asked to voice more, it cuts off - truncates notes in the order in which they were requested. Thus the piano notes - too numerous to be voiced - are cut short and sound as if they are bubbles rising and being sheared - Piano Shear - off at the surface of the water as they pop open into the air.
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7- voice setting derived from cut 8 which was written for Marvin's Room. "You are the one" would be the recurring angelic chorus - when I get a vocalist. These are the words of the Angel to our unsuspecting [and unwilling "Why Me?] hero - Prior Walker.
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| 8- from Marvin's Room which played at TM in Sept. 1993. Marvin, afflicted
with Altzheimers, sleeps all day or stares around - the ticking of the wall
clock sets the meter,
Marvin’s
simple and drifting dreams are more hypnotic than monotonous.
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9- A-Weem-a-Wak-America is a synthesis of two cultural icons “America the Beautiful”, and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimo Weh)" by Luigi Creatore. Written for a Mount De Sales High School play directed by Sidney Chalfa. It concerns the careless, sassy “It can’t happen to me” attitude of teen-agers to the threat of AIDS in America.
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10 - Tribute to Klezmatics. Jew Blues. From a feeling suggested by actress, Frazer Lively . Acknowledges this groups significant influence - mutual on the author of Angels - Tony Kushner.
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11- Snow! at the end of Act III scene 2 and segue to 3. Transitions to the delicate hallucinations of Harper as she dreams of a new life's beginning in the pristine white wilderness of Antarctica.
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12 - Ant{Arctica}Adapted and borrowed from my earlier work for the 3 Musketeers and also Approaching Zanzibar [Feb 1995]. This was never ready for the play, but I continued to work on it because of the grand vision [if ruthless actions] of Cardinal Richelieu. Every other character in the play who had brains, had then located in their gonads.
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13- Written at the correct suggestion of Scott Whatley. It begins to exhibit the Chaos, Confusion, and irresistibly inevitable travel through time, the great power and speed of the approaching millennium and the "Angels" who herald it. Angels Approaching
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14- Variation of Courney's Violin (of 17) composed during my work for Dracula - Feb 1998, TM. - This was played on the final night as Louis began his despondent, desperate, late night walk in Central Park. Act II scene 3 to 4.
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15 - "Greetings Prophet!" This is the type of vocal synthesis, which I envisioned for the end of part One - Angels. But time ran out, and I needed to get the angels voice, and the director’s collaboration. Maybe next time…
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| 16-
Overture
for Harvey 1999 - written also for scene changes. I started out intending
to synthesize from several cultural icons including "Goliwog’s Cakewalk"
by Debusy and some humorous works by Enio Moricone, among others. But when
I entered a short theme that was in my head and added the meter, it took
on a life of its own. It could have continued on but the limits of my time
and the limits of a proper overture [2-3 minutes] allowed me to happily end
the work where it is. It included the only "appearance of Harvey" towards
the end of the play as he opens a door and walks across stage and through
another door.
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17- Courtney’s New Violin - Inspired by the sounds of our next door neighbor C. Salter - a 4th grader who was one year older than Faira. Courtney brought home her school violin to practice. She repeatedly practiced bowing the open strings - the 4 notes of which I used as the basis of this invention. I later learned that her violin was mistuned(?) - and the intervals of her open strings were not conventional for the violin.
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18- Billy Bud Overture - November 1996 - an adapted and improved version of my overture for "For our Country's Good" at Theatre Macon [May 1993] Uses a traditional motif from the Boswain's whistle and the childhood icon tune "Sailing Sailing..." All these ideas were first explored during “On From Cadiz” below.
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19- Slow Seas - a variation of the overture. Thoughtful, quiet night watches upon a gentle dark sea. Stars above, reflect on the slowly shimmering surface. Lapping waves against the wooden hull.
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20- Cardinal Richelieu from the 3 Musketeers [March 1996] see 12 above. The power, Majesty and Grandeur of this ruthless man of great and ultimately, truly altruistic visions.
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21- United Way, music for the fundraising video. Features the lovely voices of Moira Glennon and Betsy Bell. Betsy worked for UW. She was in charge of the fundraising video for 1994. She had heard my music while she was acting at TM in the play "Steel Magnolias". She liked my style and asked for help. The UW theme of that year was "Open your Heart" We had laughs about adding the line "Open your wallet". I realized that these words could be added on to the exact song which had inspired her to seek my help - i.e. "Forever Friends" - the fast version - "Life goes on..." which was inspired as I watched rehearsals for "Magnolias." Recorded at historic Capricorn Studio renamed Phoenix. Engineered by Skip Slaughter.
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22. Forever Friends - a slow variation of Steel Magnolias. Where did I find the lovely voice of Moira Glennon to illuminate my songs? We worked together on the world premiere of "A Childhood Christmas in Whales" by Justin “Alex” Golding . CCIW was performed at 14th Street Playhouse in Atlanta, December 1993.
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23-27 My first public compositions were for the world premiere of the play "On From Cadiz" TM October 1992 by Sally Giray, directed by Jim Crisp. to commemorate the Voyages of Christopher Columbus. These 5 short pieces were recorded onto 1/2 inch tape at Muscadine Studio by Paul Hornesby one block from my house. They were sequenced on a IBM model 25. Three sound modules - Akai AX-80 and a $150 KMart - Yamaha PSS-480 and an 8bit Covox sound card. 23- On From Cadiz 24- Lament Cristobal 25- Pining Sirens 26- Clear Sailing 27- Four Long Swells |
All @ Lindsay Holliday 2000 Macon, GA 478.742.8699 www.HollidayDental.com Sounds - Roland Sound Canvass sequenced with Cakewalk Pro version 3, except 23-27. |
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 19:59:31 -0500 Subject: ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART TWO -- PERESTROIKA From: "Sydney H. Chalfa" <schalfa@mail.maconstate.edu>
The Impromptu Players will produce ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART TWO -- PERESTROIKA February 22, 23, 27, 28, March 1, & 2 at 7:30 pm and February 24 and 25 at 2:30pm. Those of you who saw Part One: Millennium Approaches last year will not want to miss the end of that cliffhanger; those of you who missed Part One will quickly grasp the concepts and characters introduced in Part One! Part Two's production is made even more poignant because, except for one actor transferred out of state,the same cast from Part One will play the same roles. The cast features MSC students Heather Higdon, David Jackson, Mitchell Brinkley, MSC graduate Noelle D'Amato, MSC adjunct Humanities professor Scott Whatley, Wesleyan theatre director Frazer Lively, Fort Valley State University theatre director Scott Dillard, and Theatre Macon director Jim Crisp.
No play has burst upon the contemporary American theatre scene with such thrilling style as the two-part Angels in America by Tony Kushner. Part One: Millennium Approaches, took the Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards in 1993, and part two, Perestroika, took three Tony Awards in 1994 an unprecedented achievement. By 1995 the play had been accepted into the canon of the most significant American drama of this century, with productions featured in theatre festivals, arts capitals, and universities around the world. The Impromptu Players are delighted to bring Part Two to the stage this month.
Angels in America merits this extraordinary attention. A true masterpiece of modern drama, many international critics consider it to be the finest American play of the present generation. Dealing frankly with the AIDS crisis and homosexuality, Kushner delves into unsettled issues in the American culture that touch upon race, religion, gender, politics, and economics.
What is astonishing about Kushner's play is its explosive humor; one of the funniest plays of the twentieth century, it is also one of the saddest. Though not meant for all audiences, Angels is a complex work of comedy, wisdom, and fantasy a moving story of human affection and alienation.
The box office will open for reservations on Friday, February 16; it can be reached at 757-3613. MSC faculty, staff, and fulltime students each receive two free tickets; general admission is $5 per seat. For more information, please call Sydney Chalfa at 471-5771.
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http://www.macontelegraph.com/content/macon/2001/03/02/localvote/review.htm
'Perestroika' offers very powerful story of hope against all odds By Jim Irvine Special to The Macon Telegraph p2B March 2, 2001
Tony Kushner's "Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes," a drama about the human condition, opens on a set which at first resembles classical temple columns bracketing a dark stage. When the curtain opens, the columns repeat in the set as the broken parts of gods and goddesses.
"Perestroika," is part two of Kushner's epic seven-hour play. It is a story about hope, but the hope presented is all that is left to the characters. Director Sidney Chalfa has assembled a remarkable cast of actors to bring this play to life at Macon State College.
Prior (Scott Dillard) must face betrayal of love, political repression, inevitable death from AIDS and loss of faith. His only hope comes through the visitation of the angel (Noelle D'Amato), who brings him physical relief while pursuing her own agenda of making him a prophet.
Entangled together are Louis (Scott Whatley) as Prior's estranged lover and Joe (James David Jackson), his current partner. Joe's wife, Harper (Heather Higdon), is initially ignorant of her husband's sexuality, as is his mother, Hannah (Frazier Lively). Mix into this bag the history of Mormonism, McCarthy cohort Roy Cohn (Jim Crisp), who is dying and in denial, and his nurse Belize (Mitchell Brinkley III), and the character interaction becomes lively and furious.
Masterful performances are given by the entire cast. The difficulty of playing multiple roles in this production was never evident, as they moved effortlessly from role to role and scene to scene. As they confront the evidence that both mortals and heaven are confused, the ultimate triumph of the human spirit over even death leaves the audience with Kushner's message of hope, the perestroika of coming back.
Macon theatergoers who enjoy the rare and unique should definitely see "Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika." Sidney Chalfa has provided a living theatre opportunity not soon to be repeated.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU GO What: 'Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika.' When: 7:30 tonight. Where: Macon State College Theatre, Arts Complex, 100 College Station Drive Cost: $5, reservations required. Phone: 757-3613, 8 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.
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Page by Lindsay Holliday