Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
PERUSALSCORE
Formidable
Chamber Opera in One Act
Music by Kamala Sankaram
Libretto by Jerre Dye
Performance Notes
The Visitor’s music for the first half of the piece is based on Schoenberg’s tone row for Tot:
Guitar – Passages indicated with gliss. lines should be played with a slide (as in m. 50).
Setting
Present Day. Spring. A riverbank just beyond downtown Memphis,Tennessee… maybe Riverside Drive Park. A bench is nearby.
Performing Forces
The Visitor ............................................................................................................................................................. Soprano a younger sophisticated urbanite, born and raised “out west”. She’s visiting Memphis for the first time.
The Memphian ...........................................................................................................................................Mezzo-Soprano a Memphis native. 40’s - 60’s, She’s wonderfully eccentric.
Violin
Acoustic Guitar
Duration: 8'
PERUSALSCORE
First printing, March 2024
Copyright ©2018 Music by Kamala Sankaram. All Rights Reserved. Program Note Copyright ©2018 Kamala Sankaram. All Rights Reserved Published by Just a Theory Press | www.justatheorypress.com
OnthebankoftheMississippiRiver.Aspringday.
TheVISITORstandsnearabenchontheriverbank-abrightlycoloredbackpackonhershoulder. Shestaresoutattheundulatingwater.
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morewithfolksstilllinin' - outthedoor. It'skinda - weird. It'snotmy thing. Folkscomeformilestotakeit
The view.
view. The view. Icomeandsitalltimesof daytowatchitallgoby. Andlucky - me, the
ticket's - free. ThatGraceland - costsanarmn'leg. Grewupclosetohere. How'boutyou?
eyetoeye. Iwasnothiscupoftea.
ShetakesherFather’sashesoutofabackpack. Theyresideinsideasilverurn. Shepresentsthemmatter-of-factly.
Ibroughthimhometosaygoodbye.
Hedidn't - really - stipulate. - Hiswillwasvague. A
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creepy - stare. Un-tilhelanded - inmytrunk. Timefin'lly - came tomakeachoice.
That'swhyit such a sightto see. It pullsthepain a-wayfrommeanddragsit under - -neath
rivers - fightthat last hur-rah before - theyshuffle - throughthemess they carried - withthem.
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Adel ta - is theplace whererivers - choose to leave behind - the
ri-vers shed what holds them back. This is theplace where
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