Performers: Nasvhille Opera; Courtney Ruckman, Soprano; Samuel Levine, Tenor

ABOUT THE DUET ARIA
From Masquerade, the third act in a trio of operas called Three Way. Masquerade takes place at a lavish suburban home. It’s a swinglife party, where people from all walks of life pursue their wildest erotic dreams. Couples in masks and robes have paired off in twos and threes. In this aria, married couple Jessie and Marcus enter without recognizing each other, due to the masks. Both have just been with strangers—Jessie with genderqueer Tyler, and Marcus with Connie. Both are amazed and also confused.

ABOUT THE OPERA
An Il trittico for the Tinder generation, Three Way is a new opera about the present and future of sex and love with music by Robert Paterson (The Whole Truth) and a libretto by David Cote (Blind Injustice). In three playful acts, average heroes explore the worlds of android lovers, BDSM and polyamory in a quest for “more” in today’s hyperconnected and gender-fluid world. Featuring Nashville Opera, conducted by Dean Williamson. Original cast recording.

CREATIVE TEAM
Robert Paterson, Composer: http://www.robertpaterson.com | http://www.robertpaterson.com/three-way
David Cote, Librettist: http://www.davidcote.com

THREE WAY SITES
Three Way Site: http://www.threewayopera.com/
Nashville Opera: http://www.nashvilleopera.org/three-way/
American Opera Projects (AOP): http://www.aopopera.org/threeway/

Materials available from Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/threeway/
Three Way Arias - Male: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/i...
Three Way Arias - Female: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/i...
Three Way Piano/vocal score: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/i...

ORIGINAL CAST
Danielle Pastin, Soprano: http://www.daniellepastin.com
Courtney Ruckman, Soprano: http://www.courtneyruckman.com
Eliza Bonet, Mezzo-Soprano: http://www.elizabonet.com
Melisa Bonetti, Mezzo-Soprano: http://www.melisabonettimezzo.com
Jordan Rutter, Countertenor: http://www.jordanrutter.com
Samuel Levine, Tenor: http://www.samuellevinetenor.com
Wes Mason, Baritone: http://www.wesmasonstage.com
Matthew Treviño, Bass: http://www.matthewtrevino.com

JESSIE
So, that happened.
That really happened.
You wanted and you got,
And the getting, well, it’s not
Exactly what you thought
You wanted all that time ago.
There’s wanting and there’s getting,
Then a process of forgetting,
And strangest is the stranger that you know.

(Marcus enters, looking back at the room he just left.)

MARCUS
I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Jessie.
So, we transacted.
Yes, transacted.
She was selling, and I bought,
Or did I steal and then get caught?
But what if I had fought,
And tell me who exactly is the foe?
There’s wanting and there’s getting,
Then a process of regretting,
And strangest is the stranger that you know.

(Jessie and Marcus end up facing each other.)

MARCUS & JESSIE
So, that happened.
That really happened.
We were flirting then we clicked,
Or was she fooling, was I tricked?
It’s not as if I didn’t want to go.
There’s wanting and there’s getting,
And the difference is upsetting,
And strangest is the stranger that you know.

Three Way

Three Way - Act III. Masquerade: Jessie and Marcus Duet Aria: So, That Happened (Soprano/Tenor Duet)

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Three Way - Act III. Masquerade: Jessie and Marcus Duet Aria: So, That Happened (Soprano/Tenor Duet)

Robert Paterson Composer