Composer Jake Heggie’s and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade’s paths have crossed more than once during their illustrious careers—from the premiere of Heggie’s critically acclaimed opera Dead Man Walking, to recitals, to their most recent collaboration on Heggie’s newest opera: Three Decembers (previously titled Last Acts). Last March I had the pleasure of sitting down with the duo while they were in Houston for the world premiere of this chamber opera, written especially for von Stade and commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera in association with the San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances.
Here you both are, near the end of this world premiere. What are your thoughts?
Frederica von Stade: I have the opportunity to quote myself in my very own opera. “Triumphant!” I know Jake’s work well, and I think this is one of his very best pieces. People are moved, touched, impressed, upset—all the things you hope they will be in an opera. His writing is amazing.
Jake Heggie: It was an honor to write the music for this story, to work with three well-paired singers whom I know and love very much, and to bring it to the stage for them. To dress Terrence’s multi-dimensional roles of these characters on “Flicka” [von Stade], Kristin Clayton, and Keith Phares is a real gift, especially in a nurturing environment like the Houston Grand Opera.
Patrick Summers is brilliant. Lenny [Leonard] Foglia is brilliant. Gene Scheer is brilliant. Often, when I finish the first rehearsals, I think, “Here are some things I’ll rewrite down the road.” With Last Acts [Three Decembers], I did not change a single note of it, just the title. The musical language and the characters are all exactly what I had hoped for and what they are supposed to be. It feels complete.
I’m hard on myself, and the first to sense when something doesn’t feel quite right, or isn’t fully formed. I have said everything I needed to say about this piece. It is very gratifying and exciting, and has been one of the best experiences of my life.
I write organically. I think the language for this piece is really a big surprise to some people. It is complex and yet melodic, tuneful and yet accessible to the audience. It draws them in right away. All of that finally made me feel brave enough to trust my instincts and not to question them. It was a big leap. [We all laugh.]
FvS: Tapping into what is important and relevant, and taking risks are some of Jake’s strengths. Dead Man Walking is that way. It makes an impact wherever it is staged. Tell me another composer who has that talent? There’s no one. Look at today’s great artists—Suzy [Susan] Graham, Joyce DiDonato, Kris [Kristine] Jepson. What roles do they have in common? Sister Helen. A lot of people can bring something unique to the roles that Jake writes. There is such a strong sense of character about them that singers can make them their own. It is amazing.
JH: I learned a lot of that from Carlisle Floyd. He always said, “You write the role, but it’s so important to know who’s going to sing it the first time.” Knowing that makes it that much easier to write. You’re dressing it on someone you know, someone who trusts you and someone whom you trust. Flicka’s been incredibly generous about that with every role I’ve created for her.
Writing with someone in mind frees a composer to really write creatively. If you know parameters, there’s an enormous freedom to create within those boundaries. To me, it’s the best recipe for success.
FvS: If Jake says, “Would you be interested in this role?” there is a whole list of singers who will say, “Yes, yes, just give me the dates.” [We laugh.] There’s a reason that Patti Lupone, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Suzy Graham, and Joyce DiDonato do his work. They all know that whatever Jake writes will be good.
What made you choose Last Acts for this commission?
JH: I read Terrence’s original play, which is only 14 pages long, and I was terribly moved by the story. It resonates so strongly in my life and in the lives of so many people I know. The characters were so clear, and I thought the way the story was told over three different decades was so bold, yet so right. Things are left unresolved, but you automatically fill in what must have happened to get to this point over those 10 years. I thought it was a brilliant concept.
I grew up loving musical theatre. I studied classical piano so I knew a lot of classical music, but I didn’t really know anything about opera. Musicals seemed to have that quality that I loved, where the drama is served. It’s about telling a story through the music and drama on the stage. That’s what I love about the best operas—everything serves the drama. Terrence’s work seemed to have that level of expression. It drew me in right away. I gave a copy to Flicka, and she had the same reaction.
FvS: It’s a beautiful, touching, gentle piece. It’s Terrence at his absolute best.
[To Heggie] You and Gene Scheer have been referred to as the “new collaborative team.” How did your working together come about?
JH: I knew of Gene through Kristine Jepson. When an opportunity arose to write some songs for Joyce Castle, I said, “Let’s try it out and see if this will work.” It was a dream from day one. Gene’s a wonderful man, and a really generous collaborator. With him, it’s all about finding what’s right for the piece.
Working on a new piece, bringing it to life, and nurturing it along is a fragile process. You must have people who believe in the work for the right reason. That’s why working with Flicka is so great—it’s always for the right reason. It’s about creating something that expresses or explores new emotional territory that is meaningful to someone.
Last Acts is scored for 10 players, including two pianos, played by you [to Heggie] and Patrick Summers. How does it feel to be on stage as part of the ensemble?
JH: It’s thrilling. I think every composer should have the experience of playing and being conducted to know what that is like. I will approach orchestral writing in a different way now. The hard part, of course, is that I’ve never sat in the audience, so I’ve never actually seen or heard it. The singers are facing out, so it’s a different spatial relationship. It’s been exciting to work with wonderful colleagues and all the players. While Last Acts is scored for 10 players, there are more than 10 instruments. Some players double on other instruments, so you actually get a variety of colors. We also recorded three live performances. Hopefully a CD will be released before year’s end.
[To von Stade] What is it like to create a role like Madeline Mitchell in Last Acts?
FvS: Thrilling! In Dead Man Walking and Last Acts, I’ve been able to explore something of myself, my family, and my life. In Last Acts, I got to explore my own mother. While she wasn’t an actress, she raised two children without a husband. I’ve heard her say many times some of the same things my character says. So at every performance, I’ve said to myself, “Mom, this is for you tonight.”
To honor your parents—to explore who they were, what made them tick, and what they went through—is amazing, and in a way, life altering. It’s been a privilege to look at that relationship through music and song, and to die in the end, quite happily, with my children still liking me! [We all laugh.]
JH: Yes, but it’s equally important for them to come to an understanding of their parents as individuals, not just as iconic figures. What appealed to me in Terrence’s original play was its universal quality. Many people have come up to me afterwards and said, “That happened to me,” or “You won’t believe this, but my brother and I did the same thing.” [All laugh] I thought, “Really?” So, it’s universal in situations between siblings, parents, and children. That’s part of what appealed to me. It feels of our time and yet timeless. No matter what the characters do or say, you still have compassion for them.
[To von Stade] Did Heggie give you carte blanche when creating the role of Maddy?
FvS: Jake created Maddy. However, I think there’s a lot of Maddy in me. At first, I pushed to make her a little bit nicer. When we did the workshop, I said to Jake, “Wow, I’m so angry.” However, I’ve learned that behind difficult people there are usually unbelievably difficult circumstances. We should never judge people by one encounter, or even five encounters.
JH: When you’re playing a character, you can’t tell us whether you think that character is good or bad. We have to decide that.
FvS: I think Maddy is an amazing person. She’s what inspired me in the first place. She’s very complex. She’s not a malicious person. She only has good will, but there’s that ego that wants to be on stage and loves it. She gives to so many people. She’s a special kind of person, but still a really loving, wonderful person.
JH: At first, I think Flicka was trying to give us an impression of Maddy being really tough, so it was fascinating to watch that change as she learned to love her.
FvS: Actually, I loved her from the beginning—and working with director Leonard Foglia made us all aware that this play starts at an incredibly powerful time in a world with AIDS. It seems much more hopeful now than it did then. In Last Acts, Charlie’s partner, Burt, is dying from AIDS, and Maddy is furious that this man has put her son at risk. Her emotions are real and understandable. There’s a built-in human thing about not being a good parent. It’s the one role you really want to do well, and the one that is almost totally out of your control.
Are the different titles all part of the evolutionary process of this work?
JH: Yes. Terrence’s original title is Some Christmas Letters (and a Couple of Calls), but that didn’t feel like a good opera title. Last Acts was always a working title. When we actually saw the piece in workshop, we all had strong reservations about that title. The number “three” was significant to the piece; and, since most of the major events happen in December, Three Decembers seemed to have the poetry and told of a journey in the piece.
[To Heggie] You grew up wanting to write popular songs or Broadway shows, and you [to von Stade], wanted to be a Broadway star. Does Last Acts realize any of your early aspirations for Broadway careers?
JH: Absolutely. Early on, I thought Last Acts was going to be a traditional musical with a lyricist and a book, but the size, shape, and scope got out of control. At one point Flicka said, “I think we have gotten too far away from what originally moved us about the piece.”
When she said that, it was like “boom,” everything instantly fell into place. That’s all part of creating a new piece, finding what sort of shape will actually support the drama. The fact that Madeline [Maddy] was making her Broadway debut as a famous actress kept me from actually shutting out those musical theatre influences I have. I’ve never completely shut them out, but I’ve never really embraced them either. I said to myself, “OK, I’m going to be brave, and let it be part of the musical texture because that’s what it is saying to me.” It felt right, honest, and true, and it was great fun.
FvS: I get to do everything you could ever dream of doing on stage. [Laughs.] It is like a dream come true.
JH: And gorgeous clothes.
FvS: Yes, Cesar Galindo! He joined us toward the end. Everything was black, and then there were these gorgeous colors. It gave another dimension to the piece.
What is it like for you to work together?
FvS: Oh, it’s heaven!
JH: It is. It’s the best fun I’ve ever had as a musician. It’s like a kid getting to play with your friends. We get to play all the time. [Laughs.]
FvS: We have such a good time as the artists being able to be a part of it–but you can’t lose sight of what it takes for Jake to put it out there, get it organized, write it down, and orchestrate it.
JH: I’ve found this out about myself. The only time I really write well is when I’m happy. If I’m feeling pressured or unhappy, I don’t write well. I was happy with this whole process. As a result, the piece was simply a joy to write.
FvS: He wrote it quickly, too.
JH: Basically, it wrote itself. I felt almost like it was just dictation. It was just a matter of listening—but I was happy. Part of being happy when you’re writing a piece is having colleagues who are not only supportive but are also genuinely enthusiastic about the collaboration. The feeling that they can’t wait to see what comes next makes me want to write it even more, like, “Oh, wait till you see this!”
FvS: I’ve taken Last Acts to pianists to work on it who didn’t know anything about it. They knew Jake’s work, but nothing about this. They would say, “Wait a minute. You can’t go home now because I have to see what happens next.” You don’t have a clue at the end of the first act what’s going to happen.
JH: You don’t really know what’s going on. You just know that there’s this ache.
[To von Stade] What is it about Jake’s music that is compelling, challenging, or rewarding for you?
FvS: First, Jake loves singers, because we’re the most imperfect of musicians, but also the most miraculous. I think Jake’s music is always vocal, and there’s always this wonderful liaison between word and note. Jake has the gift of having beautiful language in his head and knowing to choose someone like Gene Scheer to collaborate with where all the words fit.
[To Heggie] In your article on “The Art of Collaboration” [Last Acts Playbill] you speak about setting classic texts versus setting the text of living poets and writers.
JH: I love setting writers like Emily Dickinson. It’s limiting in a way, but there’s a certain freedom because it’s already set. But I love the collaboration with a living writer, having someone whose work I respect say to me, “I have this idea. What can we do to make it happen?” You can be in the same room and exchange ideas. Otherwise, you’re just channeling the spirit of the deceased poet or writer and saying, “I hope this is OK.”
[To Heggie] Who have been your mentors thus far in your remarkable career?
JH: Flicka is one of my greatest mentors. I’ve learned so much from her, not just about the arts, but about what it is to be a good . . . and a successful human being. Terrence has also been a great mentor. Also, Patrick Summers, Sister Helen Prejean [the nun whose real-life story inspired Dead Man Walking], and Curt Branom, my partner, from whom I’ve learned so much.
What is on the horizon for each of you? Any works that involve collaboration between the two of you?
JH: We’re doing a lot of concerts together, and I cherish that connection. Three Decembers goes to Berkeley through San Francisco Opera in December 2008. Five other opera companies have said they want to produce it in the next couple of years.
FvS: And then five productions, usually, at one time, of Dead Man Walking.
JH: It’s all good news. I’ve begun to write an opera based on Melville’s Moby Dick, with a libretto by Gene Scheer, for the spring of 2010. It’s commissioned by Dallas Opera, and co-commissioned by San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, and Calgary Opera. It’s an all male cast. I’ve never done anything like that, but it’s a wonderful challenge and I’m excited about it. I’m also working on a new music theatre work for the Metropolitan Opera in association with Lincoln Center Theater.
FvS: I have a lot of recitals coming up and my management is talking about doing a farewell tour, but I don’t know about that. I’ve had a ball, and yet I really feel the time has come. My daughter, Jenny, will soon have a baby, so I’m ready to put on my “granny hat.”
