Douglas J. Cuomo SAVAGE WINTER

SAVAGE WINTER (2017)

A music-theatre piece in one act

Music and Electronic Soundscape by Douglas J. Cuomo
Text (Eng) adapted by the composer from the original poems by Wilhelm Müller

View the Score

Vocal/Instrumental forces:
tenor or mezzo-soprano (amplified) and 3 on-stage musicians:
trumpet (amplified, with improvisatory sections), piano (keyboards),
electric guitar (with improvisatory sections), and electronics

Duration: ca. 75'

Developed by: The American Opera Project

World Premiere: Pittsburgh Opera, February 17, 2018
New York Premiere: Brooklyn Academy of Music, November 7, 2018
Jonathan Moore, Director

For full synopsis and details on the creative team, 
download the Savage Winter treatment.

HIGHLIGHTS REEL:


(Selected highlights from Douglas J. Cuomo's 'Savage Winter',
directed by Jonathan Moore and featuring Tony Boutté.
Filmed live at BAM in November 2019.)

VIDEO:


(performance: Brooklyn Academy of Music, November 8, 2018)
Password: bamvideo


(excerpts: Tony Boutté, tenor)


(concert performance: University of Miami)

PHOTOS:




(photos from Pittsburgh Opera's world premiere production in February 2018)

REVIEWS: 

Concert plus video version in Houston:
“Incredibly compelling”, “a bold experiment with poetry and sound”

“The musical settings of the poems are spare but also imaginative, alternating between punchy rock ‘n’ roll guitar grooves, pointillistic and virtuosic piano writing, and ethereal manipulations of electronic sound. All 24 songs are surprisingly varied, which is no easy task.”
— Hannah Che, Houstonia

BAM full production:
“dark and penetrating”

“[tenor Tony Boutté] maintained a captivating presence throughout”
— Eric C. Simpson, New York Classical Review

“A compelling new musical score [with] variety and searing qualities. It made Cuomo seem like a real find.” Tony Boutté is “extraordinary, not afraid to take on whatever was thrown at him”
— Richard Sasanow, Broadway World

Pittsburgh Opera full production:
“Cuomo’s belief that Müller’s poems could be the basis of a fundamentally different work is vindicated by [Savage Winter]… a powerful theatrical experience [that is] very effective on its own terms, which emotionally and in musical styles speak in modern ways.”

“Cuomo’s stylistically eclectic language, which includes jazz, rock, and electronic elements, and the bold staging by Jonathan Moore animated the story with visceral impact.”

“Tenor Eric Ferring gave a tour de force performance as the unnamed protagonist.”
— Mark Kanny — Classical Voice North America

“an abundance of genuinely poignant moments and brilliantly creative artistic elements.”

“The musicians were spectacular: subtle electronic manipulations of the group’s sound created even broader avenues of expression in the soundscape, which encompassed slow, tuneful grooves to more ethereal, electronic sounds."
—Jeremey Reynolds — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“a unique musical experience entertaining from the start.”
— George Parous — Pittsburgh in the Round 

(audio from concert performance at University of Miami)

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     For more information on 
     Douglas J. Cuomo,
     visit schott-music.com.