The soundtrack to Monk's 1993 opera Atlas does sound incomplete without the performance. And yes, it is long and difficult. And, in terms of Monk's self-professed ambition to make this release stand alone on the strength of the music only, it is a failure. But with knowledge of the libretto (luckily summarized in the CD booklet), this recording can easily be considered one of Monk's greatest works. Portraying the story of Alexandra, an adolescent girl/adult woman with dreams of exploration, the opera portrays her travels and experiences using very few actual words -- mostly assonant syllables. Dreamy and emotive for the first "Personal Climate" section, the mood of the piece becomes at times shrill, and at other times chaotic as Alexandra travels the world in the second "Night Travel" portion of the opera. The third and final part, "Invisible Light," closes the opera with a somewhat "celestial" sounding cadence. High points include "Ice Demons," "Choosing Companions," and "Airport." ~ Mark W. B. Allender, All Music Guide
Atlas: An Opera in 3 Parts
01/01/1993
All Music Guide Review
Atlas: An Opera in 3 Parts Track Listing
Credits of Atlas: An Opera in 3 Parts
- Bobby Osborne
- Voices
- Wilbur Pauley
- Voices
- Robert Een
- Voices
- Bill Hayes
- Harmonica (Glass)
- Thad Wheeler
- Percussion
- Wendy Hill
- Voices
- Wayne Hankin
- Recorder, Voices, Shawm, Sheng
- Thomas Bogdan
- Voices
- Darryl Kubian
- Violin
- Steve Lockwood
- Keyboards
- Anthony Pirollo
- Cello
- Chen Shi-Zheng
- Voices
- Emily K. Eyre
- Voices
- Carlos Arévalo
- Voices
- Randall Wong
- Voices
- Dana Hanchard
- Voices
- Victoria Boomsma
- Voices
- Janis Brenner
- Voices
- James F. Wilson
- French Horn
- John Cipolla
- Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
- Cynthia Powell
- Keyboards
- Meredith Monk
- Keyboards, Voices, Main Performer
- Kathleen Carroll
- Viola
- Diana Emerson
- Voices
- Katie Geissinger
- Voices
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