If you prefer, order your CD at www.sfgmc.org.
Here is a synopsis my husband, Eddie, has written of what you will hear:
A Synopsis of “I Am Harvey Milk”
The curtain opens as a young boy (Harvey at about age 9 in 1942) stands mid-stage, listening to an opera diva’s aria over the radio. He begins singing “An Operatic Masterpiece” of how he wants to his life to be like an opera. Along the way, the Chorus joins him in song; and as the young Harvey ends by telling us that his name is Harvey Milk, the adult Harvey reveals in the last moment of the song the name he is often called: “And they call me ‘Faggot’!”
From near the beginning of Harvey’s all-too-short life to the end, we now jump to November 1978 as we hear from the closest witness of his death, “I Am the Bullet.”
Going back from that tragic moment in late ’78 to January, we hear Harvey and Chorus triumphantly declare “You Are Here” as he becomes the first gay (who is also a Jew) to become elected to a public office in America.
Link: https://soundcloud.com/sfgmc/january-i-am-the-supervisor
The scene is May 1978 in San Francisco. The weather is warming. The tank tops and short shorts are donned. The time is a Friday night. The Chorus rocks the house with “Friday Night in the Castro.”
Link: https://soundcloud.com/sfgmc/may-i-am-the-castro-friday
Harvey’s Mother In February 1978 reflects on the worries, questions, and doubts she has had in the past about her gay son in a hauntingly beautiful “Was I Wrong?”
Harvey saw the world as basically good and one that could even be better. Deep-down, he and we want to believe that Society ‘believes in you, believes in me.’ He places his bets on “A Decent Society,” as told by the Chorus.
But that same decent society throws its verbal barbs at any one different, any one representing ‘the other’ in our world. The Chorus reminds us all of those difficult, hurtful times when we have all been ‘the other’ in “Sticks and Stones.”
Young Harvey, a non-identified female, and Adult Harvey thank those teachers who taught them and helped them become who they are in “Thank You, Mrs. Rosenblat.”
The summer of 1978 sees more and more gays and lesbians seeking the refuge of San Francisco to escape the troubles of other towns and states where being openly out is impossible. The Chorus in “San Francisco” reminds everyone listening of how beautiful it is to seek and find a refuge when it is so desperately needed.
Harvey was one just to do the things that needed to be done, no matter the odds, and he was also the one to encourage the others to do the same. His Mother encourages him to take chances worth taking in life, and the Chorus joins her in telling us all just to “Leap.”
It is June 1978, and Harvey is making one of his all-time important and inspiring messages during the Pride season of San Francisco. His message of ‘Come Out’ booms from all the rafters as the Chorus, Young Harvey, and the Mother/Female Vocalist joins him in “Tired of the Silence.”
From Playbill.com:
"The world-premiere cast recording of Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk, which features composer-lyricist Lippa as the late gay rights pioneer alongside Tony Award winner Laura Benanti and San Francisco's Gay Men's Chorus, is now available for download.
Lippa (Big Fish, The Wild Party, The Addams Family, jon & jen) penned original music and lyrics for the oratorio that premiered June 26 in San Francisco. It utilizes some of Milk's actual words for the text.
Lippa portrayed Milk, the first openly-gay man to hold public office in California, along with Tony Award winner Benanti (Gypsy, Women on the Verge) as the soprano soloist and Noah Marlowe as young Harvey Milk. They were joined by the 300-member SFGMC. Dr. Timothy Seelig conducted the oratorio that has orchestrations by August Erksmoen and accompaniment by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony.
The live recording was mixed and mastered by multi-Grammy Award winner Leslie Ann Jones at Skywalker Ranch. I Am Harvey Milk is available now at SFGMC.org and is also available on iTunes."
"The world-premiere cast recording of Andrew Lippa's I Am Harvey Milk, which features composer-lyricist Lippa as the late gay rights pioneer alongside Tony Award winner Laura Benanti and San Francisco's Gay Men's Chorus, is now available for download.
Lippa (Big Fish, The Wild Party, The Addams Family, jon & jen) penned original music and lyrics for the oratorio that premiered June 26 in San Francisco. It utilizes some of Milk's actual words for the text.
Lippa portrayed Milk, the first openly-gay man to hold public office in California, along with Tony Award winner Benanti (Gypsy, Women on the Verge) as the soprano soloist and Noah Marlowe as young Harvey Milk. They were joined by the 300-member SFGMC. Dr. Timothy Seelig conducted the oratorio that has orchestrations by August Erksmoen and accompaniment by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony.
The live recording was mixed and mastered by multi-Grammy Award winner Leslie Ann Jones at Skywalker Ranch. I Am Harvey Milk is available now at SFGMC.org and is also available on iTunes."
No comments:
Post a Comment