# American Modern Opera Company at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, September 27, 2024

[Cal Performances](https://calperformances.org/events/2024-25/illuminations-fractured-history/olivier-messiaens-harawi-american-modern-opera-company/) presents the U.S. premiere of [American Modern Opera Company](https://runningamoc.org/company's) dramatic reimagination of Olivier Messiaen: _Harawi_, featuring [Julia Bullock](https://juliabullock.com/) and [Conor Hanick](https://conorhanick.com/)  
[Zellerbach Hall Auditorium](https://calperformances.org/visit/venues/zh.php)  
[U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=U.C.+Berkeley,+Bancroft+Way+at+Telegraph+Ave,+Berkeley,+CA+94305+USA&hl=en)  
8:00 PM, Friday, September 27, 2024

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## The Program

Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992): _Harawi_ (1945), Chant d'amour et de mort (A Song of Love and Death)

## One Set

[8:11 PM] {lights down}

01. [8:11 PM] _La ville qui dormait‚ toi_
02. [8:13 PM] _Bonjour toi‚ colombe verte_
03. [8:16 PM] _Montagnes_
04. [8:20 PM] _Doundou tchil_
05. [8:23 PM] _L'amour de Piroutcha_
06. [8:27 PM] _Répétition Planétaire_
07. [8:34 PM] _Adieu_
08. [8:42 PM] _Syllabes_
09. [8:47 PM] _L'escalier redit‚ gestes du soleil_
10. [8:54 PM] _Amour oiseau d'étoile_
11. [8:59 PM] _Katchikatchi les étoiles_
12. [9:01 PM] _Dans le noir_  
[9:08 PM] {applause at end of cycle}  
[9:10 PM] {show ends}

## Performers

### American Modern Opera Company

[American Modern Opera Company](https://runningamoc.org/company)

* [Julia Bullock](https://juliabullock.com/): soprano vox;
* [Conor Hanick](https://conorhanick.com/): piano;
* Or Schraiber: dancer, choreographer;
* Bobbi Jene Smith: dancer, choreographer;
* [Zack Winokur](https://www.zackwinokur.com/): director.

## Notes

[{{:2024:2024-09:20240927rp-sib.webp?300|Roland Penrose: _Seeing is believing_}}]

Messiaen identified _Seeing is believing_, a surrealist painting by Roland Penrose, as “the symbol of the whole of Harawi” – “Two male hands reaching out, then a woman’s head upside down, her hair spreading out upwards from below, her brow, her eyes, her face, her neck, and then the rest of the woman is missing, or rather, she is continued in the sky and the stars.”

I was unfamiliar with this Messaien work, but as an admirer of his compositions, a fan of Julia Bullock and a sucker for premieres, it didn't take long to decide that I should attend this show. While the dramatic staging was incredibly sparse, I thought the presentation did well to emphasize the musical aspect of the show over the newly added dance elements (the premiere part of things). And although the dancing was certainly excellent, it didn't move me enough to recommend seeing this production over a more straightforward recital.

[Program Notes](https://calperformances.org/program-notes/2024-25/olivier-messiaens-harawi/) or {{:2024:2024-09:20240927pn.pdf|program notes}}

Lou Fancher posted a short [promo article](https://localnewsmatters.org/2024/09/23/soprano-julia-bullock-kicks-off-cal-performances-residency-with-magnetic-messiaen-song-cycle/) for this performance with Bay City News. [SFGate](https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/soprano-julia-bullock-kicks-off-cal-performances-19791479.php) seems to have a longer version of the article, but without photos.

Tom Jacobs posted a similar [promo article](https://www.sfcv.org/articles/preview/cal-performances-season-opener-expect-tragedy-and-transcendence) with SFCV.

Amy Moore posted helpful [program notes](https://www.amymoore.me/news-reviews/2021/harawi-song-company) on a page that also includes Youtube links to her 2020 performance of _Harawi_.

The writeup in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harawi_(Messiaen)|Wikipedia]] includes detailed descriptions of many of the individual songs, as well as English translations of all of the song titles.

Lisa Hirsch posted a positive [review](https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/julia-bullock-sings-loss-and-new-love-harawi) of the show with SFCV that includes plenty of production photos.

Joshua Kosman posted a [review](https://pacificaisle.substack.com/p/messiaen-complex) on his blog that includes photos from tonight's performance.

{{tag>music American_Modern_Opera_Company Julia_Bullock Conor_Hanick Zellerbach_Hall_Auditorium Or_Schraiber Bobbi_Jene_Smith Zack_Winokur  }}

[[2024-09-26|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2024|Up to the 2024 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2024#September_events|Up to the 2024 event list!]] ☸ [[2024-09-28|On to the next event!]]