Gracchus: a World Premiere

Gracchus

An Opera of Civic Redemption

Music by David Hughes

Libretto by Richard Munkelt

World Premiere, August 19, 2023, Stamford, CT

I have had the chance to review on St. Hugh of Cluny many books, some lectures and exhibitions and even a few movies. But for the first time I am reviewing a new opera: Gracchus. Its world premiere was last Saturday. A considerable audience showed up for the event;  a who’s who of Catholic conservatism and traditionalism in the New York area. For both the composer David Hughes and the librettist Fr. Richard Munkelt have been leaders for many years in traditionalist circles.

The most extraordinary thing about this evening was that a new work of this kind was introduced and came off so well.  For Gracchus was in no way an amateurish effort. The stage direction, the conducting, the dancing and the singing were on a very professional level. Now and then there were even clever stage and special effects.  It was a coherent theatrical experience.

It was audacious for the composer and librettist to persevere in creating and staging this opera –  and not just because their resources were limited.  We are dealing, after all,  with an art form that is virtually dead.  Yes, the Metropolitan Opera and a couple of other institutions sponsor new operas now and then –  but this is more going through the motions. The genre of opera reflects a musical,  a dramatic and even a social culture that has long ceased to exist. In the case of a new opera,  there is no solid performance tradition to fall back on. So, to dare to create a new work under such circumstances is doubly remarkable.

David Hughes’s music initially seemed to reflect a “modernistic” style I assume resembles that of mid- twentieth century operas. But as the opera progressed the composer drew on all kinds of other influences – everything from Broadway shows to movie music to baroque oratorios. This progression also seemed to reflect the increasing coherence and dramatic focus of the work as the evening progressed. Richard Munkelt’s intellectually dense libretto employed a kind of Shakespearean diction. At various times, however,  I discerned quotations and reflections taken from other English authors and the Bible – and now and then also Latin text (Virgil?)

Now those of us who remember our Roman history know that, towards the end of the 2nd century BC, the brothers Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus fought for reforms (especially of land ownership). For those efforts they met violent deaths. The opera Gracchus deals with Gaius Gracchus: his personal struggles, his decision to resume the reform efforts of his murdered brother and finally his confrontation on behalf of the people with the corrupt wealthy who controlled the Roman commonwealth at that time.

What is the moral of this?  Gracchus is the story of a man who overcomes his drinking,  his marital problems and his philosophical daydreams to take up the moral obligation of action. And as a part of this process of accepting his destiny,  Gracchus and his estranged wife must reconcile and seek the blessing and intercession of a virgin deity (Diana). At the end, however, the forces of a corrupt hedonistic oligarchy, promising freedom and pleasure, achieve a temporary triumph over both Gracchus and his wife.  Could this even be a disguised commentary on Donald Trump and the events of January 6, 2021 and the ensuing response of the establishment?  Perhaps that is too facile!

Of course,  we could criticize the one or other aspect of this opera. At four hours in length, with two short intermissions, it was on the long side. The opera itself  – and the performances of the singers  – seemed at times undecided between the style of a music drama and that of an oratorio.  And as is so often the case in movies,  it is harder to create a totally convincing hero, a “good” man, than a villain. But this world premiere was in Connecticut, like in the good old days of Broadway.  Given its strengths,  I would expect that any imperfections will have been weeded out before Gracchus has its New York run! It is, after all, a story that needs to be heard. 

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