The Picture of Dorian Gray Opera in two acts Op.45 (1995) c.120'00"
(3d1.2+1.2+1.2+1/4.3.3.0/timp/perc(2)/hp/cel/strings)
reduced orchestration available
Commissioned by L'Opera de Monte-Carlo
Dedicated to H.S.H. Princess Caroline of Monaco
First performed on May 8th, 1996 at the Salle Garnier in Monte-Carlo, Monaco by L'Opera de Monte-Carlo conducted by Steuart Bedford
I first read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray when I was about thirteen years old. The book made an impression on me as no other book had yet done—I was haunted by it, by the richness of its characters and story, the poetry of its language, the fragrance of decadence that clung to its pages, and by its vision of art and aestheticism as ends unto themselves. I had by that time decided upon a career as a composer and was determined to one day turn the novel into an opera. I remember once when I was attending school the teacher asked each student to name in turn the most influential book he or she had ever read and briefly to explain why. Most of the answers were predictable: The Bible, The Boyscout Handbook, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, etc. It came my turn and I named The Picture of Dorian Gray. The teacher sniffed, said "I certainly hope not!" and moved on with alacrity to the next student.
Condemned in its own day as "immoral," it is the most moral of books, and one whose lesson in its mythic simplicity has lost none of its relevance with the passing of time. Unlike Dorian's picture, this is a work of art which has not aged. Wilde's achievement is extraordinary: he is one of a handful of modern who has created a story of such universality as to instantly become part of the collective unconscious of our culture. Indeed, it has a mythic resonance to equal the best of the Greek myths. The least literary man on the street knows what Dorian Gray's picture represents, even if this popular conception of The Picture of Dorian Gray is of a horror story, a view no doubt engendered by the public's familiarity with one of the several movie versions rather than with the original novel. Wilde's story functions on many levels simultaneously. Horror story, yes, but also a tragic romance, a Victorian morality tale, an aesthetic treatise, and a philosophical examination of the amorality of art and the question of appearances versus reality, i.e., form versus content.
This mixture makes for great richness just as Wilde's style does, an eclectic blend of Romanticism, Aestheticism and Classicism, where the oddest of bedfellows from the ancient Greeks to Huysmans have managed to create an offspring with a quite individual and unmistakable voice. And although Wilde's own style is a hybrid, the concept of art is to him a very pure thing, a thing of great density and weight that, when divorced from a moral imperative, has the power to corrupt. It is a very sacred thing, but like all sacred things, must be approached with fear and trembling, with fear for one's mortal soul. Basil tried to put all his life into his art and so paid dearly; Dorian tried to make his life his art, and paid even more dearly. Both were acts of blasphemy, and, in Wilde's very moral vision, both were punished. In this, one senses the reason for Wilde's own artistic detachment, the distancing he was always trying to achieve by way of his wit. Wilde loved art, and, since "each man kills the thing he loves," Wilde kept his distance from his own art.
The character of Lord Henry is in a sense Wilde's alter ego in the novel, even to the point of being described as looking like Wilde. He is the character who sets off all the events without actually getting his own hands dirty. He is always present, ready to summarize the proceedings in one clever remark or devastating aphorism. In a certain sense Henry's aphorisms are a brilliant metaphor for the novel itself: If one examines the true meaning of these aphorisms, one finds them to be meaningless. Henry seduces Dorian by the clever way in which he says things, rather than by what he actually says. Again, it is the seduction of form over content, appearances versus reality.
Working with The Picture of Dorian Gray seemed like being handed a wonderful gift of a libretto. The novel is already very musically structured in its overall dramatic form, in the echoes and recapitulations of various themes and characters, in the poetry of its language. Very little new material was added, mostly in the love scene between Dorian and Sibyl, and in Sibyl's final scene, where I transposed some lines from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Sibyl's pet name for Dorian was changed from "Prince Charming" to "Romeo."
Musically speaking, I have aimed for a simplicity of style, an almost classical restraint in keeping with Wilde's own apollonian ideals. My goal was to create a through-composed work whose two acts would each be a fully sung, unbroken symphonic span. The entire opera is based on a twelve-note row which is used in a tonal context. It is first heard at the beginning of the opera in pizzicato cellos and basses. It is harmonized as Dorian's theme and then as the painting's theme. As the painting disintegrates and becomes corrupted, so does its theme. The twelve consecutive scenes of the opera occur in the keys of the consecutive pitches of the note-row. In this manner the entire opera becomes one grand passacaglia, a variation of Dorian's theme, a picture of the picture—the tonal structure generated by a non-tonal device—a further metaphor for the form/content divide that generates the novel's dramatic structure.
It is seldom commented or noticed that at the end of the work, the only character who is left alive is Lord Henry. It seems only fitting that he, who is after all Wilde's persona in the book, would be the only one left, perhaps to dismiss it all with one final world-weary and cynical aphorism.
REVIEWS
“Certainly, no one denies that “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is an astonishing operatic debut. Like Britten, whose first opera was “Peter Grimes,” Mr. Liebermann has burst forth fully formed as a theatrical composer. In the end the drama is so compelling and the structure so taut that the question of influence pales in comparison…The 12 scenes are clearly defined, each focusing on a single dramatic event. And Mr. Liebermann has an intuitive sense of pacing that enables him to build inexorably to the shattering climax…Above all, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is the work of a composer who wields a virtuoso technique with self-assurance and conviction.”
The New York Times
“Lowell Liebermann is an epicure among American composers, savoring glittery chords, gossamer lines, and velvety textures that more self-consciously intellectual colleagues might be scared to put on paper. He’s well equipped to take on Oscar Wilde, and his 1996 opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, luxuriates in a suitably eclectic aesthetic language…”
Alex Ross, The New Yorker
“The Picture of Dorian Gray claims a significant place among American operas premiered in recent decades. Liebermann knows how to write melodies that take flight, but he also proves he can write vivid music drama that reflects the passions in Wilde’s tale of corrupted innocence. The glory of this compelling score is the cogent orchestral interludes that connect the 12 scenes. Those interludes vividly underscore the characters’ turbulent emotions.”
The Courier-Post
“Musically and dramatically, Mr. Liebermann’s work is effective; as a first opera, it is remarkable…Mr. Liebermann’s handling of the orchestra is masterly, summoning great power at times without in most cases swamping the voices. And his setting of English was natural enough to carry at least to one choice seat with little need for supertitles.”
The New York Times
“North American viewers will have to wait until 1998 to see and hear this exceptional work…Without being in the least bit pejorative, the music was often reminescent of film music of the highest quality. Liebermann’s masterful orchestration demonstrated a craftsmanship not always found today.”
Opera
“Nearly three years ago a glittering crowd in Monte Carlo cheered the world premiere of a new American opera: Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. The music combines rich, unabashed emotions with an energy that at times recalls the minimalists…Shot through with expressive melody, brilliantly orchestrated, paced with unerring dramatic flair, the score is all that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s turgid Phantom of the Opera ought to be:…a first class popular entertainment crafted with passion and art.”
The Atlantic
"…it comes as no surprise that his orchestral writing in this piece is stunning. The score is a rich tapestry of sweeping phrases, wrenching harmonies, and plaintive instrumental solos.”
American Record Guide
"It is an impressive work…Liebermann is able to move from full ensemble to solo cello with ease and expertise. There are echoes of other composers…but at all times the music is Liebermann’s own.”
Opera News
“The Milwaukee Symphony, conducted urgently and intelligently by Steuart Bedford, glowed from the orchestra pit in hues of endless variety and fascination. Liebermann’s command of orchestration is complete. Every combination and voicing was ringingly resonant and dramatically compelling throughout this two-hour opera, which is symphonic in conception. Dorian Gray is not an opera of tunes accompanied by the orchestra. It is, rather, a grand programmatic symphony in which the singing and the text are integral parts. Signature motifs wind through it and function as both markers of character and formal musical elements. The music accumulates meaning as it goes on, its many elements stick in the mind and add up to something; webs of musical and dramatic relationships form as the music unfolds.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“…the 90’s have seen a considerable number of high-profile premieres,…But to date, only one, Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, has been both musically distinguished and dramatically effective.”
Commentary Magazine
“Altogether the musical complexity is indeed accessible at first hearing, and it makes for an extremely engrossing performance. This is an unusually lyric opera for a contemporary work…In particular, I found that the dialogues between Dorian and his “soul-painting”, transposed into duets between tenor and orchestra, quite superb. To make visual art become music was a real challenge, and this young composer is certainly someone to watch.”
OperaGlass
“But above all, to offer up lovely, melodious music that draws upon the heritage of Wagner, Berlioz, Philip Glass and Adams. At every step of the drama, one is aware of aharmonious osmosis of the vocal line and the orchestral score, which finds its apotheosis in the second act…Here is an opera in which the message of Oscar Wilde has found a particularly refined outlet.”
Nice Matin
“Liebermann’s striking musicality dazzled his audience through to the finale.”
Riviera-Côte d’Azur Zeitung