メリディアン
日本語
ご存知ですか
オペラ「アビナダイ」
The Opera Abinadai
２５年以上前にわたしはモルモン書のモサイア書に出てくるアビナダイについてオペラを作ったらいいねえと思いました。音楽はあまり知りませんが、脚本を少し書いて見ました。２ページくらい書いてそれから諦めた。
ですから今年BYUでアビナダイのオペラが発表された時に「やっぱり」と思いました。
メレディス・ライアン・テーラーはアビナダイと言うオペラの脚本を作り始めたのは宗教のクラスの宿題から生じた。BYUの音楽の教授、ラーリ・ヴィセント、はテーラー兄弟が続けるように勧めました。それで１９９９年に始まったオペラは今年６月にBYUで上演されました。そして、撮影されて、BYUTVで数回放送されました。歌うの上手なテーラー兄弟はオペラでノアの役を演技しました。
The long journey Meredith Ryan Taylor has been on is almost at an end. The musical performance he has been writing since 1999 will be performed onstage at BYU this fall.
The “libretto” was initiated as part of an assignment for a religion class, but Taylor was further encouraged to continue with the project by BYU music professor, Lawrence Vincent. The endeavor wasn’t easy. With setbacks, delays and, worst of all, the death of his father, Taylor had to submit an incomplete report on his ORCA-funded project. Nevertheless, he continued working on the opera, even after he graduated.
After finishing the piano score for his libretto, Taylor learned that Dr. Vincent wanted to use his work for an opera performance at BYU. ”It was a huge surprise,” he says about the unexpected opportunity and dream-come-true. ”I was writing this, but I never really expected this to be performed,” he says. "I know that’s a weird thing to say, but it’s really hard to get a new work like this, that involves so many people, performed because of funding and many other things."
Taylor credits Vincent with getting his work on stage (and his formal mentor, Dr. David Sargent). He says the professor kept encouraging him to continue with the project and constantly asked him how it was coming along. The piano score helped convince Vincent that Taylor�s production should be performed.
"Abinadi," the result of Taylor's long-time efforts, made its debut at BYU's de Jong Concert Hall Stage on June 4th for what Taylor calls a "workshop." The four evening performances gave Taylor and his colleagues the chance to observe what changes need to be made before the curtain goes up again for the production in October.
Taylor sees the opera as a way he can recount the Book of Mormon story and its message to people who might not otherwise read the scripture, such as friends from his hometown of Huntington Beach, California.
The artist also wanted the musical story to be a "true gospel message" about the ancient prophet. To do this he avoided recounting the drama in his own interpretation, and says the only liberty he took with the story was adding women's parts, to which there are none in Mosiah's account.