Antiradical Opera
opera for radio

Libreto by Jesse Glass (Japan).

Ceyda Karamursel (Turkey), Grytė Pintukaitė (Lithuania), Jonas Sakalauskas (Lithuania), Kyrre Bjørkås (Norway), Juha Valkeapää (Finland), Tom Winter (Germany), Charles Krutzen (Germany), Hugo Maia (UK), Gosia Kus (Poland), John Troyer (USA) and La La Band from the National Theater School of Canada – voices; Paco Balbuena – electronic sample, Vaida Pasarevičiūtė- flute, Šarūnas Jankauskas - clarinet, Roman Repin - trumpet, Tadas Žukauskas - violin, Alexei Bliznin - guitar, Arturas Bumšteinas - piano.

Recorded in various locations around the world throughout 2001-2003.

For this project i gathered a virtual group of various vocalist (professionals and amateurs) from all around the world. With the help of internet i distributed to them my simplistic scores consisting of „number notation” and performance instructions. These scores were interpreted, recorded and sent back to me on CDs, mp3 files, mini-discs and audio cassettes. In the studio i mixed all these recordings into a virtual choir which became the main, most characteristic element of the whole „Antiradical Opera”. Instrumental part was recorded later as an accompaniment for the voices. No other external sound sources were used.

Libreto of „Antiradical Opera” brings us to the American Civil War era’s Newspaper Wars. The main story is on the editorial battle between Joseph Shaw, editor of the Carroll County Democrat , and Charles W. Webster, a columnist for The American Sentinel. Shaw had opined on April 6th, 1865, that the country would be much better if Abraham Lincoln (that time president) had died. Lincoln was shot on April 14th. The day later, when the news reached Shaw, he left his hometown - Westminster. That night a concerned citizens’ committee destroyed Shaw’s printing offices and on April 24th , when he returned to Westminster, he was killed the same day.

All the documentation of this collaboration between Arturas Bumšteinas and Jesse Glass is part of special collection at the University of Maryland Libraries.

Jesse Glass is professor of American literature and history at Meikai University in Japan. He is the author of The Passion of Phineas Gage (West House/Ahadada), Gaha Noas Zorge (Poetry/ Performance Texts) and Lost Poet (Plays).  Performances of his poetry are featured at UBU-Web and Penn-Sound, among other venues.

"Antiradical Opera" by Arturas Bumšteinas

Botaurus stellaris

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This track was created during an online rehearsal. The musicians didn't meet: One sent a track to the next, she played along and sent it to the third, who played along with the other two.

"Antiradical Opera" by Arturas Bumšteinas

arturasbumsteinas

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