The Classical Music Minute

Fire Shut Up In My Bones: An Operatic Milestone

October 25, 2021 Steven Hobé, Composer & Host Season 1 Episode 26
The Classical Music Minute
Fire Shut Up In My Bones: An Operatic Milestone
Show Notes Transcript

Description
The Metropolitan Opera is back after a long pandemic shutdown with a new season. It launched with Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” marking the first time that a Black composer and a Black librettist have found their way to the Met. This is indeed a historic moment, fueled by recent events, and yet long overdue. Join me, as we take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
“If you have passion for something and you work hard and study hard and put forth the effort, the sky’s the limit. One thing I believe as an artist is when you’re honest about what you are creating, you are creating something that will touch other people who are dealing with the same issues.” — Terence Blanchard, Composer

About Steven
Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more.

A Note To Music Students et al.
All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com 

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“Fire Shut Up in My Bones” is an opera by Terence Blanchard and marks the first time a Black composer and a Black librettist have been featured at the Met.

The Metropolitan Opera opened its season with this masterpiece which is based on a memoir by Charles M. Blow, an American journalist. 

The libretto is by filmmaker Kasi Lemmons and tells of a young Black man growing up in rural Louisiana, his childhood shadowed by sexual abuse.

Blanchard weaves together jazz and gospel genres into an impressive orchestral palette. 

The vocal writing composed for singers with the power of traditional classical training but crossing over to jazz and gospel singing methodologies. 

This is an epic psychological journey to self-acceptance. It also tests the performer’s skill and tenacity in executing the diversity of the score. 

“Fire Shut Up in My Bones” is truly a milestone and my hope is that it paves the way to more diversity in the operatic genre.