by I’ve long been aware of the Santa Fe Opera and its reputation as a unique venue since my theater days in New York City in the 1980s and ’90s, when a number of colleagues directed or designed productions there. And it also features prominently in one of my all-time favorite films, The Tao of Steve. So a visit was in order when I was soloing in the van in Albuquerque, and fortunately there was a production on the boards during my time in the area.
Thus, I found myself in Santa Fe on a Friday night in July to see a world premiere production of an opera entitled The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith. Spears is a New York City-based composer, and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Yale University and Princeton University. His works have been performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, New York Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Opera. Smith was 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017 to 2019 and the winner of the the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and worked with Spears on Castor and Patience, an opera that addressed the legacy of slavery.
Prior to the performance, a local conductor and arts educator, Oliver Prezant, gave a stimulating and informative Prelude Talk that was very insightful and provided food for thought as the performance unfolded. The Righteous is set in the 1980s world of Western politics amid the rise of megachurches.
Love, power, and faith clash in The Righteous. David, a charismatic preacher, faces a spiritual dilemma. His marriage to Michele brings him into a wealthy and powerful family and propels him toward the governor’s mansion. But the mystical allure of a member of his congregation, Sheila, tempts him astray. As the 1980s unfold, David’s church rises in the Southwest, mirroring his political ascent. But his affair with Sheila deepens, threatening everything. By decade’s end, David must choose between worldly success and true devotion. This opera explores how sacred ideals bend under earthly pressures.
The evening flew by, leaving me in the wake of its whirlwind of music and sociological musings.
