The Alan Turing opera is on its way
NewsMessage from Chicago Opera Theater:
We are thrilled to announce that the World Premiere of THE LIFE AND DEATH(s) OF ALAN TURING will be presented by Chicago Opera Theater next season! Music by Justine F. Chen
Libretto by David Simpatico
Commissioned by ALT in 2012 to commemorate the Turing Centennial, this extraordinary opera will be conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya, who has been an integral part of the development process at ALT since 2015. The World Premiere Production will be directed by Peter Rothstein, and will feature baritone Jonathan Michie, for whom the role of Alan Turing was written!
Despite saving England in World War II by cracking the Nazi U-boat code, Alan Turing was found guilty of gross indecency for a homosexual relationship. He chose chemical castration over imprisonment as his punishment. Two years later, Turing was found poisoned near a cyanide-laced apple with a bite taken from it. The apple is believed to be a reference to his obsession with Disney’s Snow White, and the image is rumored to be the inspiration for Apple Computer’s logo. Turing’s mysterious death was labeled a suicide – but there are many other theories…
“Our opera imagines the man inside the legend of Alan Turing: his unique perspective of the universe, his unabashed view of his homosexuality, and his impact on the future of civilization. This piece is relevant today not only for restoring Turing to our collective memory, but also because the institutionalized homophobic attitudes faced by Turing continue to threaten the lives of gay men and women across the globe. In fact, this opera is not merely about homophobia, it is about prejudice. This opera celebrates the power of memory, creativity, and the potential within us all to live fully and truly.”
– Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico
Here are some samples of Chen’s music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycabM18s5lQ&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZmDuU-cw3Q
It sound entirely generic without a scintilla of originality.
It is an amazing story and fit for opera.
In the late 1980s, the composer James Sellars embarked on a Turing opera with the poet Thomas Meyer. Sellars never finished composing the score before he died, although some scenes were performed, but Meyer’s libretto will be published as a stand-alone work early next year.