A group of scenes from the life of an "agent" in composer Robert Ashley's 1987 work, revived in 2021 with this new studio recording featuring mezzo soprano Kayleigh Butcher taking over the role of The Agent formerly inhabited by baritone Thomas Buckner, plus Brian McCorkle as Interrogator No. 1, Bonnie Lander as Interrogator No. 2 and Paul Pinto as Interrogator No. 3.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2021 Country: USA Packaging: Jewel Case Recorded at Robert Ashley's studio, in New York, July 2021, by Tom Hamilton.
"Robert Ashley's eL/Aficionado is a group of scenes from the life of an "agent". The scenes are a kind of "debriefing" to a jury of Interrogators, in which the Interrogators (chorus) challenge the Agent (soloist) in various forms of musical dialogue. The mood of the opera owes much to our fascination with espionage and with the character of those people who lead double lives. The opera was performed many times between 1987 and 1993, and Lovely Music released a recording of the opera in 1994 (LCD 1004CD).
This new studio recording features the cast of the 2021 production (October 21-23 at Roulette, Brooklyn), with mezzo soprano, Kayleigh Butcher, taking over the role formerly inhabited by baritone Thomas Buckner. Recorded at Robert Ashley's studio in July 2021. Orchestration by Robert Ashley and Tom Hamilton. Recorded and mixed by Tom Hamilton. Produced by Tom Hamilton and Mimi Johnson. Personnel/Credits: Music and Libretto by Robert Ashley; Kayleigh Butcher - The Agent; Brian McCorkle - Interrogator No. 1; Bonnie Lander - Interrogator No. 2; Paul Pinto - Interrogator No. 3. -Lovely Music, Ltd.