This two CD set presents a recording of The Juniper Passion,
a three act opera which was first performed in April 2012 in
Hamilton, New Zealand. Michael F. Williams composed the music.
Williams is a Senior Lecturer in Music at the Conservatorium
of Music at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, NZ. John
Davies wrote the libretto as a tribute to his father, who fought
at the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy in 1943-1944 with the
2nd New Zealand Division. John is Curriculum Leader-Live
Performance at the Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland.
In 1943, the 2nd New Zealand Division moved from
North Africa to Italy to join the US 5th Army for
what turned out to be one of the bloodiest battles of World
War II, the Battle of Monte Cassino. Located about 80 miles
southeast of Rome, Monte Cassino is about 1500 feet in elevation,
and the highest point in the region. A monastery run by the
Benedictine Order was first constructed on the hilltop during
529 AD. During the fall of 1943, the Germans occupied the hilltop,
affording them a strategic military advantage as long as they
could occupy and hold it. From December 1943 to May 1944 the
Germans and Allies battled at Monte Cassino, resulting in at
least 114,000 troops killed or wounded and the bombing and total
destruction of the monastery.
The libretto describes the horrors of battle as seen through
the eyes of a New Zealand soldier; a brother’s missing
leg, dragging his brother to safety, the pain of a sniper’s
bullet ripping through his neck, visions of his youth in rural
New Zealand as he loses consciousness, and ultimately slipping
away to his death. Another scene set 25 years later describes
a widow and daughter visiting a soldier’s grave site at
the war cemetery at Monte Cassino, where they meet a former
German officer and a Benedictine monk who had been at the battle.
The players in this drama discuss war, God, right and wrong,
and the meaning of it all.
The music for this opera is well-written and suited to the tone
and scope of the libretto. Williams adopts various styles in
this opera. Beautiful melodic solos alternate between the
baritones and sopranos and are interspersed with segments
of dialogue in Italian. Gregorian chant is are used throughout
to represent the monastery and the life going on there despite
the war raging all around. The dramatic effects are further
heightened by digital sound-effects used to enhance the orchestration
which comprises: string quartet, bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet,
trombone, piano, percussion and organ. The vocalists and the
orchestra all perform well.
This two CD set alone cannot of course capture the visual impact
of war or of this momentous episode. The music does not carry
the opera. The original includes choreography, computer graphic
sets and actual photographs taken during the Battle of Monte
Cassino. The essence of the battle and the message that is meant
to be conveyed can only be hinted at rather than expressed.
One references on the internet assures us that the “performance
is through dance with only minimal movement and interaction
by the singing cast.” It is to be hoped that the
opera will be released on video some day so that the listeners
may fully experience what Michael F. Williams and John Davies
have created.
This CD comes with the libretto and liner notes. There are several
photographs of Monte Cassino included with the notes that show
the total devastation after the battle.
Bruce McCollum
Full Tracklist and performance details
Pene Pati - Carlo, a Benedictine monk
Matthew Landreth - Joe, a New Zealand soldier
James Ioelu - Bruno, a German officer
Lilia Carpinelli - Maria, Carlo’s sister
Julia Booth - Helen, Joe and Jessie’s daughter
Stephanie Acraman - Jessie, Joe’s wife
Chorus: Stephanie Acraman, Julia Booth, Lilia Carpinelli, Amitai
Pati (a monk), Ian Campbell (the Abbott), David Griffiths (a
soldier)
Paul Gittins (narrator),
Lara Hill, Elena Abramova (violin), Susan Bierre (viola), James
Tennant (cello), Gordon Hill (bass), Adrianna Lis (flute), Gordon
Richards (clarinet), Brent Grapes (trumpet), Douglas Cross (trombone),
Katherine Austin (piano), Vadim Simongauz, Eric Renick (percussion),
Michael F. Williams (sound effects), Indra Hughes (organ)/Rachael
Griffiths-Hughes
rec. Stebbing’s Studio, Auckland, NZ, July-September 2011
CD1 Act 1 [32:00]
Prologue [6:08]
Act 1 Scene 1 [3:40]
The sun climbed into the sky [2:12]
I can not see [1:24]
I could hear my brother [4:40]
Act 1 Scene 2 [3:25]
Act 1 Scene 3 [2:18]
I am Maria [3:20]
Hier ist das Schlachtfeld [1:56]
I thought I’d never [3:00]
CD 1 Act 2 [17:15]
Act 2 Scene 1 [1:47]
Act 2 Scene 2 [1:20]
Act 2 Scene 3 [4:35]
In saecula [3:38]
Artworks [5:55]
CD 2 Act 3 [46:18]
Act 3 Scene 1 [2:43]
Act 3 Scene 2 [3:31]
Act 3 Scene 3 [4:21]
Women create life [5:59]
Act 3 Scene 4 [10:00]
On a cold and dirty afternoon [9:33]
Joe’s death [5:14]
Epilogue [4:55]
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ATOLL ACD 243 [49:15 + 46:18] 