A Fleeting Animal, the opera I created in 1999 and 2000 with my friend, the late poet and playwright David Budbill, was first performed in 2000 and then received a second run of performances in a newly-revised version in September, 2015. This latter set of performances featured a stellar cast of singers and the instrumental ensemble TURNmusic, all under the stage direction of Margo Whitcomb and the musical direction of Anne Decker. The opera is set in a small, northern Vermont town in the early 1970’s and is the tragic story of Tommy, the returning veteran who is haunted by his military service in Vietnam, and Grace, the much-maligned single mother with whom he falls in love. It touches on life in small towns, PTSD, poverty and racism, as well as the beauty of Vermont and the joys of the seasons, particularly the short, but vibrant summer. The music includes a number of styles, including the influence of contemporary concert music, jazz, blues and Quebecois folk song. We have now made the video available of the final performance at Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, Vermont, September 20, 2015, complete with subtitles. The film and subtitle work was done by Jeff Tolbert.
Here are the Vimeo links:
Act I (Please note that these are very large files and may take quite a bit of time to load; be patient!)
Act II