 Rappahannock County: Press commentary
Austin Chronicle preview
“…this work promises to be both musically rich and moving.”
Opera Today preview
“The piece has the sense of a lens closing in on a spectrum of individuals and their feelings around slavery and morality in a profound and poignant way.”
Opera Today
“The acclaim accorded Rappahannock County by the 2,200 people who packed Norfolk’s Harrison Opera House for the premiere made clear that Gordon and Campbell had achieved their goal…
“…growing applause documented the increasing involvement of the audience during the premiere performance.”
VEER magazine
“Mood and emotion run the gamut throughout the work and are dynamically paired by Gordon and Campbell. The lyrical content is honest and true to the times, though with hints of contemporary viewpoint….
“… Ricky Ian Gordon…and…Mark Campbell proved to be outstanding collaborators for what is likely to be considered one of the best musical theater works of 2011.”
Richmond News
“So, last night I saw my first-ever opera performance, and it was about…the Civil War…
“Overall, I was really glad I went. I think it’s safe to say that this was the strangest Civil War-related thing I’ve yet participated in since moving to Richmond. And you know what? That’s pretty awesome. It definitely helped me gain perspective that I don’t think I could have found in a book or a battlefield.”
Richmond Times Dispatch
“’Rappahannock County’ avoids epic sweep to tell powerful human stories” [headline]
“…thoroughly professional, often moving and occasionally funny…
“’Rappahannock County’ may have no sustained plot, but it hardly lacks structure or drama. It takes the war year by year. It details the trajectory of Southern white attitudes from certitude to disillusionment and despair — they're sadder, but surely wiser — as it traces the plight of blacks from bondage to a freedom that won't be all it's cracked up to be.
“…Don't be surprised if it becomes a programming favorite, especially in concert formats, among American symphony orchestras for decades to come.”
Style Weekly
“I recalled a line by writer Anne Lamott while sitting in Norfolk's Harrison Opera House this past April, waiting for the curtain to rise for the premiere of the music-theater work, ‘Rappahannock County,’ at the Virginia Arts Festival: ‘Hope begins in the dark.’
“How true of a moving theatrical performance when very affecting music soars, like the murky, rapidly rising Rappahannock River — here, a potent symbol of the momentum and personal impact of a nation at war with itself.” |
Ricky Ian Gordon’s dramatic song cycle, Rappahannock County, premiered with great success in April by Virginia Opera in Norfolk as part of the Virginia Arts Festival. The work received a lot of attention leading up to the premiere, including:
With a libretto by Mark Campbell, the songs of Rappahannock County was written to commemorate the Civil War, and premiered on April 12th, the 150th anniversary of the start of the War. It tells the story of diverse fictional characters during the War, and reflects their hopes, fears, and emotional turmoil. Co-commissioned by the Virginia Arts Festival, Virginia Opera, the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond and the Texas Performing Arts at the University of Texas in Austin, further performances take place in Richmond and Austin in September, 2011.