The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is an opera with music by American composer Mason Bates and an English-language libretto by Mark Campbell. It was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, with support from Cal Performances. The opera is about one of the most influential people in recent history; it is set at a time when he must confront his own mortality and circle back on the events that shaped his personal and professional life.

Performance history

The world premiere took place at the Santa Fe Opera in 2017, conducted by Michael Christie. The original production featured direction by Kevin Newbury, scenic design by Vita Tzykun, costume design by Paul Carey, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, projection design by Ben Pearcy for 59 Productions, and sound design by Rick Jacobsohn and Brian Loach; it was a co-production of Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs was the most popular new opera in Santa Fe Opera's history and one of the top-selling operas in the company's history. An extra performance had to be added to accommodate the demand for tickets. In May 2018, a recording of the work was issued under the Pentatone label; Bates and Campbell received Grammy Award nominations for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, engineers Mark Donahue and Dirk Sobotka were nominated for Best Engineered Album (Classical), and Elizabeth Ostrow was nominated for Producer of the Year (Classical). The recording won the 2019 Grammy for Best Opera Recording (honoring conductor Michael Christie, producer Elizabeth Ostrow, and principal soloists Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edward Parks, Garrett Sorenson, and Wei Wu).

Bates was drawn to Steve Jobs as the subject for an opera, because, he says, opera “can illuminate the interior thoughts of different characters simultaneously through the juxtaposition of individual themes. That makes it an ideal medium to explore a man who revolutionized how we communicate.”[1] Bates asked Mark Campbell, one of America's leading opera librettists, to create the story in the libretto. According to Campbell, “Learning that Jobs was a Buddhist his entire adult life lead me to the ensō, the circle that is drawn in Japanese calligraphy to express enlightenment. I connected that with Jobs’ habit of taking long walks and the Zen practice of pacing in a circular pattern called a kinhin and began to develop a story in which Steve ‘circles back’ on his life. The title actually refers less to the revolution Jobs helped create in technology rather than the kinhin of self-reflection that propels the story.” [2] Gary Rydstrom of Skywalker Sound assisted Bates with the production of the opera’s electronic sounds.

There have been two other presentations of the original Santa Fe production, with a third planned in 2020 and a fourth in 2021.

Roles
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 22 July 2017
(Conductor: Michael Christie)
Steve Jobs baritone Edward Parks
Laurene Powell mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke
"Woz" (Steve Wozniak) tenor Garrett Sorenson
Kōbun Chino Otogawa bass Wei Wu
Chrisann Brennan soprano Jessica E. Jones
Paul Jobs baritone Kelly Markgraf
Teacher mezzo-soprano Mariya Kaganskaya

Synopsis

This one-act opera features roles based on real-life figures Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Chrisann Brennan, Kōbun Chino Otogawa, and Laurene Powell. Inspired by the life and creative spirit of Steve Jobs, the opera does not purport to depict actual events as they occurred or statements, beliefs, or opinions of the persons depicted.

Discography

Sources
  1. Bates, Mason, "The Music of Communication" in Santa Fe Opera 2017 program book, pp. 76–78
  2. Campbell, Mark, "The Evolution of (R)evolution" in Santa Fe Opera 2017 program book, pp. 79–81
  3. "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs". Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  4. "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs". Seattle Opera. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  5. "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs". San Francisco Opera. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
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