Jake Heggie: Intelligence [SACD]

Houston Grand Opera Orchestra & Kwamé Ryan - Jake Heggie: Intelligence [SACD]

Houston Grand Opera is a driving force in American opera, cultivating a spirit of innovation with premieres of important 20th-century works like Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place and John Adams' Nixon in China. This tradition continues with the debut recording on their own record label-Jake Heggie's Intelligence. This epic work was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and is the company's 75th premiere, building on it's legacy and commitment to the future of opera with a thrilling new recording. Intelligence explores the little-known story of two heroic women spies during the American Civil War: Elizabeth Van Lew, a privileged white woman; and Mary Jane Bowser, a black woman born into slavery in the Van Lew household. Composer Jake Heggie, librettist Gene Scheer and director/choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar join creative forces to transform this unique true story into a musical masterpiece. The opera features an all-star cast led by soprano Janai Brugger as Mary Jane Bowser, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Elizabeth Van Lew and mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges as Lucinda. These awardwinning artists create a riveting performance, capturing the nuance and suspense of Heggie's acclaimed new opera in this exciting launch of Houston Grand Opera's record label.

 
Tracks
- Disc 1 -
1 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 1. the Van Lew Mansion
2 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 1. Help Me!
3 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 1. Round and Round
4 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 1. Intelligence
5 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 1. Aria. Just One Step
6 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 2. the Confederate White House
7 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 2. Pantomime
8 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 3. What Did I Marry Into?
9 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 3. Aria. Look Me in the Eye
10 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 4. in Town
11 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 5. the Journal
12 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 5. Aria. Why Risk Everything for This?
13 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 5. What's Gonna Happen Now?
14 Intelligence-Act 1. Scene 6. Fire!
- Disc 2 -
1 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 1. What Is in the Ashes?
2 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 2. Surviving Is All I've Ever Known
3 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 2. Duet. Traitors
4 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 3. It Cannot Be True
5 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 3. Ancestral Dance
6 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 4. Midnight Outside the Van Lew Mansion
7 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 4. None So Wronged As Mary Jane
8 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 4. Duet. Chained to You Forever
9 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 5. in Elizabeth's Rooms
10 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 5. the Slave Auction
11 Intelligence-Act 2. Scene 5. My Momma's Eyes