Justine F. Chen: A retread.  That’s funny.

 

When I had decided to pursue this topic, I had somehow never seen or read any adaptations of her story.  The catalyst was a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Joan by Jules Bastien-Lepage.  I was wandering around the museum with my friend Ricardo who knows all the museums of Manhattan like the back of his hand.  He pointed out this particular painting.  I am actually not a huge fan of this style of painting -- I'm more of a Picasso Rothko fan, so I would not have seen it otherwise.  He said, "Look at this painting.  Look at her eyes."  And I looked. And I was completely absorbed.

 

I had been in a bit of a funk before that moment because I had just finished my first opera, and had just graduated, and wasn't sure of the next step; but at that moment, I knew that Joan of Arc would be my next opera subject.  I had just undergone a grueling doctoral process, and I felt a kinship with her and her circumstances.  It wasn't until later that I knew more of what her life work was.  It was more the concept of a solitary figure fighting for what she believed, armed almost exclusively with her faith.

 

 

 

 

At the recommendation of City Opera's all-knowing dramaturg Cori Ellison, who I had met because of my VOX 2006 nomination, I started looking at some works -- Jean Anouilh's play The Lark, Carl Dreyer's film The Passion of Joan of Arc, Arthur Honegger's Oratio Dramatique Jeanne d’Arc au Bucher, and the testimonies and court transcripts from her trials.

 

On my own, I watched about 3 or 4 other movies on Joan of Arc, but they were all quite similar -- telling similar anecdotes, often using the exact same text.  Clearly, these were historical anecdotes, but I felt that the verbatim repetition of these same stories did not celebrate her existence or explain how extraordinary she was to everyone around her.

 

What made Dreyer's film utterly unique and powerful was an extreme focus.  He didn't re-enact a series of anecdotes, he showed her specifically through her trial, he focused the story on her faith and suffering throughout the trial.

 

 

 

 

I decided to paint a portrait of her through the eyes of others, to meet people who knew her and could talk about her.  We would hear from her, but not the traditional anecdotes with the well-worn dialogue. Instead, we would see a Joan with emotions and desires, someone adored, feared, loathed, and used by friends and enemies for their own ambition.

 

I don't know how people will take my version of Joan's character.  My greatest concern is that people will be able to connect the dots and understand the story I'm telling.

 

Whenever anyone hears I'm working on an opera based on Joan of Arc, I believe they all imagine a heavy biblical epic, like Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, complete with fire and brimstone, there is usually some recoiling involved.  Mine is a more delicate and intimate portrait.

 

As far as my research of other adaptations...I'd also begun reading G. B. Shaw's Saint Joan, but I didn't get very far.  Let me preface this by saying I am very fond of Shaw's plays, but while I was reading the lengthy preamble (and I usually love his preambles), I realized that Shaw had a very strong opinion of her character, and I found myself disagreeing with his assessment!  So, I thought instead of finishing the preface or his play, I should complete my own research so I can finish creating my own concept of Joan. I  also read Brecht's St. Joan of the Stockyards, and I got through that play.  It was very politically charged.  It was my first Brecht play, so I was quite unprepared for a play functioning so starkly and severely as social commentary. I probably need to take a course or something...

 

I consciously chose not to name my opera "Joan of Arc" because I was worried that it would be mistaken for a clone opera (like those clone movies).  Actually, I have also only heard the Honegger oratorio, I haven't yet heard the Verdi or Rossini Joans.  Perhaps when I am closer to finished with my opera, I'll take a look at their libretti and scores.

 

 

Justine F. Chen:  For those who don't know or enjoy opera at all...I've found that opera is perhaps the closest one can get to watching a real-time, live music video or film.  The main difference is that sometimes the stress is more music than anything else (visual, dramatic), and sometimes it's difficult to follow the plot, appreciate just the music, or hear the words.

 

Similar to contemporary music, I've found that many people who don't know classical music like contemporary music more than, say, Beethoven, and it makes sense to me because this is music written by people now living with similar stimuli and influences.  It is probably easier to understand and communicate with someone living next door today than it is with someone living 300, 200 or even 100 years ago in a different country.  The proximity of time and space make the likelihood of feeling a kinship with the opera of your time greater than with, say, a Handel opera.

 

And for those who already love opera, say you like Verdi, Wagner, or Mozart... consider that you might be able to meet the Wagners or Mozarts of today.  They wrote for the people of their time, and their operas addressed contemporary issues.  How much would you pay to get in a time machine so you could talk to them (nevermind the language difference)?  Now imagine you can meet up with people who are doing that right now.