The famed Royal Opera House at Covent Garden will host the European premiere of Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin on 14 March 2006. French mezzo-soprano Isabelle Cals makes her UK operatic debut in the title role, with Carole Wilson as her oppressive mother-in-law.  Artistic Director Lee Blakeley, whose restagings of Die Zauberflöte and Faust on the ROH main stage received widespread critical acclaim last season, directs; Timothy Redmond conducts. Additional performances will be on March 15, 17, and 18 2006. For more information visit the Royal Opera's website.

New Yorker: "Tobias Picker, America's most bankable opera composer"

The New Yorker in their September 26, 2005, Fall Preview for Classical Music, writes: "The Metropolitan Opera offers the world première of An American Tragedy (after the Theodore Dreiser novel), by Tobias Picker, America's most bankable opera composer, on Dec. 2, with a cast that includes Patricia Racette, Susan Graham, Dolora Zajik, and Nathan Gunn."

For more information and press quotes about An American Tragedy, click here.

Time Out New York Features Picker Met Premiere

In their September 8-14, 2005 issue, Time Out New York features Tobias Picker's upcoming premiere of his Met commission, An American Tragedy. Speaking of the composer's earlier experiences, Steve Smith writes "By the time he was ready to tackle opera, the composer had developed a richly lyrical style, a firm grasp of musical architecture and a keen ear for arresting melody." He goes on to quote conductor James Conlon, who will helm the premiere: "Tobias has a real feel for the theater and the voice," conductor Conlon says. "That makes me very happy, because these days, composers with a feel for the voice are few and far between. You can write interesting operas from the orchestra up, but I don't know that they end up succeeding. You've got to be able to do both, and Tobias certainly can."

Read the entire article.

For more information and press quotes about An American Tragedy, click here.

Recently Read in Nathan Gunn's Blog

Celebrated baritone Nathan Gunn will be performing the role of Clyde in the upcoming Metropolitan Opera world premiere of Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy. Gunn mused about the role in his online journal:

"September 22nd, 2005
Picker Baritones

"I'm home working very hard on the new Metropolitan Opera commission, An American Tragedy. The process is wonderful. I've never devoted this much time to a single work. Now that I'm comfortable with the majority of the piece and have a great deal of it memorized I'm beginning to see its place in the lyric baritone repertoire. I've actually dubbed the voice type appropriate for the part of Clyde a "Picker baritone" after the composer, Tobias Picker, because it's unlike any other baritone part I've sung. The role itself is very demanding in its length but needs a kind of agility that more lyric voices possess. It's high with some very fun heroic moments, but is also subtle and beautiful. I suppose the piece follows in the tradition of American music with the protagonist being a high lyric baritone whose character is driven to an extreme (much like Carousel).

"I thought I'd mention a couple of scenes from the first act that I really enjoy. The first is the aria about a car. What is more American than that and more wonderful for a mid-western boy like myself to be singing? The second is the scene when Roberta tells Clyde she's pregnant and wants to get married. The change from joy at the beginning of the scene to utter desperation and dejection for Clyde, and dejection for Roberta at the beginning of the scene to relief by the end makes one's ears perk up and want to shout at the stage!

"It's going to be great so if you can get to NYC in December to see the show you should by all means do it."  

Visit Nathan Gunn's site: www.nathangunn.com

For more information and press quotes about An American Tragedy, click here.

'Tragedy' Comes to the Met

"When composer Tobias Picker got a call — from James Levine, no less — in 1997 to write "a big, tragic opera," he didn't have to think twice about his subject. Picker had been drawn to Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy since age 10, when he saw A Place in the Sun, the film based on the novel. The book, he says, "struck me as profound — profoundly sad, profoundly moving. It gripped me as a story." The true tale of a young pregnant woman drowned by her boyfriend in an Adirondack lake in 1906 raises issues of class and religion and depicts human failings on a grand scale — in other words, it's perfect opera material, especially in this elaborate staging by director Francesca Zambello, with costumes (pictured) by Dunya Ramicova. "Clyde Griffiths, the central character, is Everyman," Picker explains. "He wants success, the American Dream. But he really goes about it in the wrong way, so he gets into a lot of trouble. Very serious trouble." At the same time, he admits, it was a tough book to adapt: It's 900 very wordy pages, and, as Picker puts it, it's "unnerving — there are no verbs for pages and pages." Was it too much? "Did Verdi make a mistake basing La Traviata on a book, or Bizet with Carmen? It's based on a true-life story, and having a great writer tell this is a wonderful scaffold on which to hang music.""

Rebecca Milzoff, New York Magazine

For more information and press quotes about An American Tragedy, click here.

Metropolitan Opera Announces 2005-2006 Season:
World Premiere of An American Tragedy

The world premiere of Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and based on the 1925 novel of the same name by American writer Theodore Dreiser, is on December 2. The libretto is by Gene Scheer. James Conlon conducts, with Patricia Racette as Roberta Alden, Susan Graham as Sondra Finchley, and Nathan Gunn as Clyde Griffeths. The cast also includes Dolora Zajick as Elvira Griffeths, Jennifer Larmore as Elizabeth Griffeths, Kim Begley as Samuel Griffeths, William Burden as Gilbert Griffeths, and Richard Bernstein as Orville Mason. Francesca Zambello directs, with sets designed by Adrianne Lobel in her Met debut, costumes designed by Dunya Ramicova, lighting designed by James F. Ingalls, and choreography by Doug Varone.

Subsequent performances are on December 5, 8, 12, 16, 21, 24, and 28.

For more information, see the Metropolitan Opera's press release.

For more information and press quotes about An American Tragedy, click here.

First Edition rereleases Symphony No. 2 and String Quartet No. 1

First Edition Records has just rereleased the Houston Symphony Orchestra's recordings of Tobias Picker's Symphony No. 2 and String Quartet No. 1, with Sergiu Commisiona conducting.

Picker's second symphony, commissioned for the Houston Symphony and dedicated to Sergiu Comissiona, takes its name from a poem by Goethe on the power of music to restore an awareness of beauty to senses that have become dulled by stress and everyday cares. The string quartet, subtitled "New Memories," was commissioned by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival to celebrate the centennial of Georgia O'Keeffe's birth.

For more information, see the Recordings page, or visit First Edition Records.

The Blue Hula has French premiere in Paris

L'Orchestre de Paris will present the French premiere of Tobias Picker's The Blue Hula at the Theatre Mogador on May 12th. Christopher Eschenbach is both soloist and conductor; he will conduct from the piano.

Written in 1981 and commissioned by the New York New Music Ensemble, the work is ten minutes in duration and is scored for a "Pierrot Plus Percussion" ensemble.

New Commission for Marilyn Horne Foundation

The Marilyn Horne Foundation recently commissioned Tobias Picker to write a song for the Foundation's 10th anniversary and Marilyn Horne's 70th birthday. The song, entitled I Am in Need of Music, uses as its text a sonnet by Elizabeth Bishop. The song was premiered at Carnegie Hall on February 1st, with the baritone Bejun Mehta and Lang Lang accompanying on piano.

BBC Music Magazine: "Picker's recent music...one of the glories of the current musical scene"

David Breckbill of BBC Music Magazine, reporting on the Chandos release of their new disc of music by Tobias Picker in the May 2003 issue, writes, "Those already familiar with Tobias Picker's Keys to the City (his second piano concerto) should hear this disc. That brash, Gershwinesque, very public work, completed in 1983 to commemorate the centenary of the Brooklyn Bridge, here receives a sound recording (in more alluring sound) to set beside the composer's own authoritative account (CRI).

"This disc's primary attraction, though, is its inclusion of two newer, more reflective works which here receive their recording premieres. And Suddenly It's Evening (1994), which takes its title from a poem by Salvatore Quasimodo, attempts to convey the fleeting nature of youth by combining a rich textural web of rhythmic activity and a sober lyricism resembling the tone of, say, Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms. The Cello Concerto (1999), commissioned by the Proms and premiered there in 2001, has an eloquent champion in soloist Paul Watkins, who gave its premiere. Although some British listeners have heard Elgarian wistfulness in this music, its juxtaposition with And Suddenly It's Evening will prompt recognition that Picker's recent music displays a distinctively soulful style that is one of the glories of the current musical scene."

For more information or to purchase this disc, click here.

"Thérèse Raquin Excels in Every Department" raves San Diego Magazine

Kristin Chavez and Christopher Maltman in the San Diego Opera production of Thérèse Raquin.

"...Tobias Picker's gripping Opera Noir [is] a memorable event" enthuses Gregson. "It's hard to know where to start praising this endeavor, but the work itself — a stunning piece of musical theater crafted by composer Tobias Picker and his librettist Gene Scheer — is an inspired adaptation and transmogrification of Émile Zola's nasty little novel about adultery, murder and terminal guilt in 19th-century Paris."

Gregson continues, "Picker's Thérèse Raquin is a deeply felt and emotional work, although the intellectual complexity of its score only begins to become clear after a number a hearings. Operagoers might like to familiarize themselves with the work beforehand by listening to the Chandos two-disc CD recording of the Dallas production; however, the opera is so gripping dramatically, such preparation is not necessary to enjoy it."

Gramophone Magazine offers praise for new CD

Edward Seckerson, writing in the March 2003 issue of Gramophone magazine, says that with the music of Tobias Picker, "it's the attitude that begins to make the difference." Keys to the City, says Seckerson, "comes with a voracious boogie-woogie cadenza which might have been handed down from the 'Masque' in Bernstein's Age of Anxiety." In the central movement of And Suddenly It's Evening, "Picker spins out his most verdant melodic counterpoint for the occasion, every line free and melismatic in a way that is distinctive..." Gramophone boldly deems this seven-minute movement "the best music on the disc and very seductively played." The Cello Concerto features the cellos's "sonorous, big-hearted character," and movements that are "songful, even operatic," surrounding two unsettling scherzos, in one of which "a piano sounds hell-bent on hijacking the concerto."
Learn more about this recording, listen to excerpts, and buy it, here.

Koch Entertainment salutes new Picker recording

Tobias Picker's new recording on Chandos has been named Koch Entertainment's "Release of the Month" for February 2003. The new CD features premiere recordings of Picker's symphony, And Suddenly It's Evening, and his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, as well as a new performance of his piano concerto, Keys to the City. Soloists Paul Watkins (on cello) and Jeremy Denk (on piano) lend their considerable talents to this much-anticipated recording, which follows Chando's critically-acclaimed release of Tobias Picker's opera, Thérèse Raquin in June 2002.
Learn more about this recording, listen to excerpts, and buy it, here.

Thérèse Raquin CD lauded by Opera News

Opera News, which named Chandos' Thérèse Raquin CD their Editor's Choice in the November 2002 issue, has just pegged the recording as one of the ten best of 2002. Reviewer Josh Rosenblum writes "Tobias Picker creates a maximum-impact drama," and calls it a "marvelously effective new work."

See the January 2003 issue of Opera News for the Ten Best Opera Recordings of 2002, and read more of Josh Rosenblum's November 2002 review here.

Los Angeles Times praises Tres Sonetos de Amor

Daniel Cariaga of the Los Angeles Times, in reviewing the world premiere of the baritone and orchestra version of Tobias Picker's Tres Sonetos de Amor, writes "St.Clair elicited luscious lyricism and a wonderful palette of colorful, quiet playing from the orchestra in Picker's evocative, neo-Romantic songs... Picker's handsome settings...are likely to be a serious addition to the repertory: the music effortlessly amplifies the emotional ambience of the texts, and the three songs offer handsome contrasts."

The Encantadas Turns Twenty this Year

The Encantadas, Tobias Picker's landmark work, turns twenty this year. The work, with texts drawn from Herman Melville's vivid and poetic descriptions of the Galapagos Islands (originally written for Collier's Magazine), was commissioned by the Albany Academy in celebration of their 175th anniversary. Since its premiere, it has been performed worldwide dozens of times times, in versions for orchestra, chamber orchestra, and choreography, and in translations for German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian speaking audiences.

The Encantadas had great success as an EMI/EMD/Virgin Classics recording (as performed by Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony); now out of print, used copies of the recording do a brisk business among afficionados on eBay and at used record shops.

For more information about The Encantadas, click here.

Tobias Picker: Chandos Records Artist of the Month for May 2002

Chandos Records featured Tobias Picker as their Artist of the Month this past May, with their Disc of the Month choice going to the world premiere release of Picker's Thérèse Raquin. The recording, made possible by The Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation, is a new release for May 2002.

Thérèse Raquin had its world premiere stage performances with The Dallas Opera last winter, and just concluded a run with L'Opera de Montreal earlier this month.

Click here for audio excerpts from Chandos' recording of Thérèse Raquin, or to order a copy of the CD.

Praise for new Cello Concerto commissioned by BBC Proms

Tobias Picker's Cello Concerto, which had its world premiere at the 2001 BBC Proms on Sunday, August 12, 2001, at the Royal Albert Hall, has already garnered much positive press.

The London Times enthuses, "After the interval, a taste of the post-avant-garde in the world premiere of Tobias Picker's Cello Concerto. The BBC had commissioned an American composer whose lyrical facility and meticulous craft ensure there is never a wasted or worn note to be heard. The work was played with affectionate understanding by Paul Watkins. Picker's style fuses long-limbed melody with rigorous contrapuntal repartee: sometimes Stravinsky's spirit is fleetingly honoured, sometimes that of Elgar."

The Independent of London writes, "[Picker's] moving and attractive Cello Concerto, a Prom's commission receiving its world premiere, is the first major orchestral work by this gifted American composer to be heard in the UK. Picker has been written about in this country on account of his staged operas, so it comes as little surprise that his cello concerto should have found inspiration from the written word. Of the four movements, Picker regards the first and last as songs without words. Words, however, are intimately associated: the solo cello line of the first movement follows closely the rhythm of ee cummings' not even the rain, as Paul Watkins demonstrated in a particularly delightful pre-concert talk between soloist and composer. The two inner movements are inspired by the shortest of poems by Quasimodo.

"Picker has reworked an earlier suite for cello and piano giving it a new shape and blessing it with fine instrumental colouring that never swamps the soloist. Picker describes himself sardonically as a "collapsed 12-tone composer" and indeed the work is rooted in tonality beginning almost where Elgar left off. In its first and last movements, Picker preserves an Elgarian sense of melancholy, opting for broad lyricism which allows the soloist ample room to do what the cello does best: to sing. Contrast is provided by a bouncy, syncopated Stravinskian-influenced second movement where the soloist hardly draws breath. Watkins excelled, tenderly nurturing the lyricism yet powerful in virtuosic moments of double-stopping and passage work. It appears grateful to play; a valuable addition to the cello repertoire."

Picker Song Receives Advance Attention

In his Boldface Names column of March 21, 2001, James Barron of The New York Times writes, "The composer TOBIAS PICKER says the song he and GENE SCHEER wrote for the [Meet the Composer and the New York Festival of Song-commissioned] "Songbook for a New Century" was "a cri de coeur; my portfolio is down 80 percent." The song, Irrational Exuberance, blends remarks by ALAN GREENSPAN, the Federal Reserve chairman, with stock market symbols for technology companies like Cisco Systems and Nokia.

""We thought of it a few months ago when things weren't so bad," Mr. Picker said, but they had to finish their opera Thérèse Raquin. It had its first public performance at GEORGE PLIMPTON'S apartment on Monday night, along with new songs by MILTON BABBITT, PAQUITO D'RIVERA and LOWELL LIEBERMAN. The gathering was a warm-up for a performance at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College [March 22] at 8 p.m. What about that interest rate cut? "It wasn't enough," Mr. Picker said."

Metropolitan Opera Commission

The Metropolitan Opera has announced that it has commissioned Tobias Picker to compose an opera for 2005-06. The opera is called An American Tragedy, and is based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser. More details to follow as they become available.

Tobias Picker's Cello Concerto to Premiere at the BBC Proms

Tobias Picker's Cello Concerto will have its world premiere at the 2001 BBC Proms, on Sunday, August 12, 2001, at the Royal Albert Hall. Paul Watkins is soloist, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by David Robertson. The concert is at 7:30 PM, and will be preceded by a pre-Prom talk by the composer and the soloist, at 6:00 PM.

The Cello Concerto was commissioned by the BBC for this year's Proms, and shares the bill with Janacek's Sinfonietta, Ives' Three Places in New England, Boulez's Notations I-IV, and the UK premiere of Pierre Boulez's Notation VII.

[From the BBC Guide to the Proms]: "When New Yorker Tobias Picker was asked to compose his Cello Concerto, he was already hard at work on another piece for the same instrument -- a Suite for cello and piano, written especially for Lynn Harrell. The Concerto has been composed for Paul Watkins, who was Principal Cellist of the BBC SO for seven years from the age of 20. Picker's angular counterpoint drifts in and out of tonality, and with the immediacy of his musical language he has managed to marry something of the rigorous romanticism of Brahms with the detached, visceral rhythms of Stravinsky."

The Dallas Opera, in collaboration with L'Opera de Montreal and San Diego Opera, has commissioned a new opera by composer Tobias Picker which will make its world premiere in the fall of 2001. The opera will be based on the novel Therésè Raquin written by French author Émile Zola.

Graeme Jenkins will return to conduct these first-ever performances of Thérèse Raquin. Mr. Jenkins has conducted several world premieres during his career including the world premiere of Stephen Oliver's opera Timon of Athens at the English National Opera, and world premieres on the concert platform in Helsinki by composers Korteganas and King. Acclaimed stage director Francesca Zambello returns to The Dallas Opera for this production. Ms. Zambello directed the world premiere of Tobias Picker's first opera, Emmeline, with the Santa Fe Opera and has directed many productions for The Dallas Opera including Madama Butterfly last season and her Olivier Award-winning Billy Budd in the 1997-98 season. Rumanian costume and set designer Marie-Jeanne Lecca makes her Dallas Opera debut as the designer for this production. Ms. Lecca has designed many productions in Europe, and in America, she has designed Carmen for Minnesota, Portland, Houston and Seattle, and Il barbiere di Siviglia for Glimmerglass Opera in 1993-94. Acclaimed for his lighting of both opera and theater productions throughout Europe and the United States, Mark McCullough makes his Dallas Opera debut as lighting designer of this production.

British mezzo-soprano Sara Fulgoni will make her Dallas Opera debut in the title role of Therésè Raquin. Considered one of the outstanding vocal and dramatic talents of her generation, Ms. Fulgoni has performed with opera companies throughout Europe and made her American operatic debut in the 1999-2000 season as Carmen with Santa Fe Opera. American bass-baritone Richard Bernstein makes his debut with the Company in the role of Thérèse's lover, the handsome Laurent. "The limber, athletic" Mr. Bernstein has been touted not only for his "...robust and virile voice," but also for his dynamic stage presence ("The New York Times") and has garnered praise from critics in his performances with major opera companies throughout the United States. Tenor Gordon Gietz also makes his Dallas Opera debut in this production as Thérèse's husband, Camille. Mr. Gietz is one of today's most gifted young tenors and is enjoying a successful career in both operatic and concert repertoire.

Artists returning for this production include Diana Soviero in the role of Thérèse's mother-in-law, Madame Raquin; tenor Peter Kazaras returns as Monsieur Grivet; Rumanian bass Gabor Andrasy sings the role of a friend of the Raquin family, Olivier Michaud; and soprano Sheryl Woods returns as Michaud's younger wife, Suzanne.