Douglas J. Cuomo's Arjuna's Dilemma at Dallas Opera
Mar. 30, 2017
On May 4, Dallas Opera presents a visually-enhanced concert performance of Douglas J. Cuomo’s critically acclaimed opera Arjuna’s Dilemma, in conjunction with the 2017 OPERA America Conference. Conducted by Nicole Paiement, Dallas Opera’s Principal Guest Conductor, the performance features vocalist Humayun Khan and tenor Tony Boutté.
Based on the ancient text of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna’s Dilemma melds classical, jazz, and Indian musical traditions into a work of both sweeping grandeur and hushed intimacy. Critics have found it “astonishing,” "mesmerizing," and “genuinely original.” Arjuna’s Dilemma was commissioned, developed, and produced by Music-Theatre Group, and had its premiere at the PepsiCo Theater in Purchase, NY and at the BAM Next Wave Festival in Brooklyn, NY.
In 2016, a new production of Arjuna was presented by One World Theatre (pictured above) in the Bhitri Chowk courtyard of the Royal Palace in Kathmandu, Nepal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), marking the first ever opera production in Nepal. The performances were presented as part of a benefit for the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust following the 2015 earthquakes.
Listen to a recording of Arjuna's Dilemma, featuring Amit Chatterjee, Tony Boutté, and led by Alan Johnson, released on Innova Recordings:
For more information on Douglas J. Cuomo, visit schott-music.com.
Douglas J. Cuomo
Arjuna’s Dilemma (2008)
a chamber opera in one act
libretto (English, Sanskrit and Hindi) by the composer from Bhagavad Gita and poetry of Kabir
for Indian vocalist, tenor, female chorus (four voices) and ensemble
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70’