This 2024 release appeared in the
PentaTone Classics
series of American opera, one of several underway. Is it too soon to say that American opera is in a golden age? Maybe, but
Paul Moravec
's
The Shining
is tightly constructed and would make a strong impact even on audiences unacquainted with contemporary opera. To get the big question out of the way, yes, the opera is based on
Stephen King
's 1977 horror novel, the ultimate snowed-in craziness tale (and not,
Moravec
points out, on
Stanley Kubrick
's film of the novel, which is a different animal). Part of the credit goes to librettist
Mark Campbell
, who boils
King
's 500 pages down to 68 compact scenes, which go by with impressive speed and momentum. As
puts it, "The story strikingly demonstrates three of the most basic elements of opera -- love, death, and power."
's settings of
Campbell
's words are straightforward and build to compelling climaxes. The composer devises leitmotifs for each character ("including the Overlook Hotel," he notes) and divides the opera into natural and supernatural worlds, the latter murkier and less tonal. The singers of the
Kansas City Lyric Opera
, led by baritone
Edward Parks
in a live performance that will not suffer beside
Jack Nicholson
's, deserve credit as well, as does conductor
Gerard Schwarz
, for whom contemporary opera is a specialty. Those wanting to dive into that genre could do much worse than start here. This album made classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2024. ~ James Manheim