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| Gregg Kallor |
by Gil Benbrook
This Friday, the 13th of October, marks the world premiere of Frankenstein, commissioned by Arizona Opera, which opens the opera company’s 2023/24 Season with performances at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix October 13-15 and performances the following week in Tucson, October 21 & 22.
Like any work of art, this new opera has a creator, composer and librettist Gregg Kallor who has translated the haunting narrative of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein into a symphony of sound, infusing this enduring tale with fresh perspectives and emotional depth.
Frankenstein is a powerful, heart-wrenching retelling of Shelley’s novel of the same name, whereby Kallor strives to lift Shelley’s work off the page with music that makes the audience feel for The Creature, and all the characters in the opera.
In a bold and captivating fusion of literature and music, the timeless tale of "Frankenstein" comes to life in this new and innovative opera. Kallor's composition takes Mary Shelley's classic novel to new heights, exploring the depths of human ambition, morality, and the consequences of scientific creation.
In this exclusive interview, we delve into the mind and creative process of the composer, uncovering the inspirations, challenges, and aspirations that shaped this unique operatic adaptation. Join us for a conversation with Gregg Kallor as he takes us on a journey behind the scenes of this transformative musical experience, to explore the genius and artistry behind the new opera, Frankenstein.
What inspired you to compose an opera based on Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"? What drew you to this classic novel as a source of inspiration?
Gregg Kallor: "Sarah Meyers, the director, and I were chatting about ideas for our next collaboration, and she suggested that I read Frankenstein. I couldn’t put it down. It felt both epic and intensely intimate. It felt operatic. I thought I knew the story, but most adaptations I’ve seen stray very far from the novel — so I wasn’t prepared for how deeply it resonated. I had found a story I wanted to tell, and I knew exactly how I wanted to tell it.
Frankenstein is a horror story, but not in the way people often think of it. The real horror is the agony of a living being who is callously abandoned by the man who created him. This creature endures terrible suffering. People are afraid of him because he looks different. He’s reduced to this difference; he’s perceived as 'other,' and he’s reviled for it. His desire for companionship is repeatedly and violently rejected; and he’s driven to respond in kind, killing the people his creator loved most. The real horror of Frankenstein is a lack of empathy. And, sadly, this 200-year-old horror story continues to be relevant.
People of all communities and backgrounds can identify in some way with the Creature — we are all 'other' to someone. And we all have the potential to be Victor Frankenstein, pursuing our own goals often heedless of how they affect others. Like the Creature, we are molded by the circumstances into which we are born; driven by an instinct to survive. And like Elizabeth, Victor’s fiancée, we are all bystanders with little or no control over what is being done without our knowledge or permission that may significantly impact our lives. That’s why this story has endured and resonated all over the world for more than 200 years. It’s everyone’s story."
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| photo by Kevin Condon |
Can you describe your creative journey in adapting the novel into an opera? How did you approach capturing the essence of the story through music?
"To truly honor the essence of what Mary Shelley wrote, I had to have the courage to adapt it to make it work as music. Once I began to accept that idea, the nauseating feeling that I was mutilating her work of genius began to give way to excitement at the possibilities that opera offers for creating a different experience of Shelley’s novel.
For me, there has to be a reason that someone feels compelled to sing something — as if there were no other possible way to convey the thought. That’s my starting place for setting words to music: finding the impetus to express the idea through music.
I began my exploration of Frankenstein by focusing on what I believe is the heart of the novel: the pivotal scene in which the Creature describes the misery of his solitary existence to Victor Frankenstein — the man who created, and abandoned him. My initial sketches for this and another scene were presented in the Catacombs of historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, in 2018. Sarah’s gorgeously conceived staging was riveting. Joe Specter, the President and General Director of Arizona Opera, and Chris Cano, AZO’s former Music Director, attended this performance. Two years later, they called to tell me that they’d like to commission me to expand the sketches into a full-length opera. I was ecstatic!
I returned to the novel and lived with Mary Shelley’s text for a long time and allowed it to suggest musical ideas. Writing the libretto (the words and the dramatic action) helped me give specificity to the music, which then suggested changes to the libretto. There’s a lot of back and forth in the process — fortunately, the composer and librettist are on pretty good terms. (!) I was guided by Cori Ellison, the brilliant dramaturg, who asked probing questions to help me clarify my intentions. We went through my first draft word by word, phrase by phrase, note by note. And then we did it again. And again, and again, for several months.
But it was only when we got in the room with the musicians that I was able to fully understand what worked and what didn’t — that’s when the music comes to life. The singers bring a perspective that I couldn’t have imagined; they give specificity to the musical ideas that have been living in my head for the past six years. It’s thrilling to watch them become their characters, and live this story, and breathe life into the music. That experience is vital to my understanding of the opera, and how to strengthen its emotional impact."
How much of the opera has changed between the readings and workshops you held until the finished piece that premiers in Phoenix on October 13th?
"I spent a lot of time trying to imagine how everything would sound and feel and flow in the music and in the drama — but there’s only so much that can be planned in advance. A lot of the refinement has to happen once everyone gets in the room and starts bringing this thing to life.
I learned so much in the workshops, and I loved the spirit of thoughtful collaboration with my brilliant colleagues. Their input has been invaluable to me throughout the process: the director, Sarah Meyers, who translates the music into a theatrical experience — into a world that we see and hear; the dramaturg, Cori Ellison, who asks probing questions to help me clarify my intentions; the conductor, Clinton Smith, who translates my translation of Frankenstein into real-time musical drama; and the singers, who LIVE the music and bring the characters to life.
There haven’t been any significant substantive changes between the workshops, but there’s been a ton of refinement, mostly in terms of pacing — figuring out which moments we want to live in for a little longer, and which moments need a little tightening up (making sure to avoid what Cori refers to as “speed bumps” – things that impede the flow). After the orchestral workshop, here in Phoenix, I adjusted the orchestration to make sure that the singers had enough support where they needed it, but weren’t overwhelmed by sound. And during rehearsals here in Phoenix these past few weeks, I’ve made a few minor modifications here and there to help align the music with the staging."
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| photo by Kevin Condon |
Are there any particular composers or operas that have influenced your approach to composing this work?
"Too many to name! I’ve gleaned what I can from the musical storytellers who move me, and anything I’ve done right in Frankenstein owes a great debt to my musical heroes — composers of operas, songs, orchestral music, chamber music, jazz, theater music, rock, pop — all styles. I’m standing on the shoulders of giants."
The characters of Victor Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Creature are central to the story. Are there themes or a musical motif that represent these men and their emotional journey and how did you use music to capture the character development and inner turmoil of these two individuals?
"Absolutely! The musical themes are hugely important in connecting us to these characters, and helping us understand what they’re experiencing, and what they’re feeling. Elizabeth (Victor’s fiancée) and William (Victor’s younger brother) also have music associated with them.
The musical themes, like the keywords in Mary Shelley’s novel (words, for instance, related to pregnancy, fire, creature, monster, language, sight) appear frequently throughout the opera, accumulating significance with every repetition, so that our understanding of the characters changes and deepens with every variation of a theme. (I hope!)
One of the brilliant ways in which Mary Shelley tells the Frankenstein story is to switch narrators — the perspective shifts, as does our understanding of events. As the characters evolve (or, at least, move through the story), the music evolves with them. The musical themes carry us through, and when we hear familiar musical themes in new contexts, our perception of them changes — like the epigraph that appears at the beginning of all three volumes of the novel (an excerpt from Book X of Paradise Lost)."
The opera genre allows for powerful emotional storytelling. How did you use music to evoke the emotional depth of the characters and their experiences?
"An aria — basically a song — provides an opportunity to stop time, and open a window to a character’s soul, allowing us to feel what they feel. As both the librettist and composer, I had to choose which thoughts to highlight as the most important; the most poignant. For me, arias are emotional anchors for the opera as a whole, so I wrote one for each of the main characters: the Creature, Victor, and Elizabeth. I also wrote some duets and trios to take us deeper into the characters’ emotional relationships. Baritone Ed Parks (the Creature), tenor Terrence Chin-Loy (Victor Frankenstein), and mezzo-soprano Katie Beck (Elizabeth Lavenza) bring exquisite subtlety, nuance, and depth to this music. They’re going to break people’s hearts!
The orchestral music amplifies and heightens the emotional world of each character, allowing us to experience what they experience. The orchestral music also drives the story — it evokes the presence of a character at times; it illuminates dramatic events and external circumstances so that we hear what the characters hear; it becomes the rhythmic motor that propels the action forward, and slows time down to allow us to breathe and process what’s happening and, at times, to simply sit with an emotion for a little while."
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| photo by Kevin Condon |
"Frankenstein" has been adapted in various forms of media over the years. What sets your opera apart and makes it a unique interpretation of the classic story?
"I want my opera to forge an immediate connection between the Creature and the audience, so that we experience what he experiences — so that we feel for him, and empathize with him. So I decided to start at the moment of the Creature’s awakening consciousness — which is exactly how Mary Shelley conceived her story.
Many Frankenstein adaptations lean heavily on the spectacle of this moment, with pseudo-scientific whatevers. But if I’m busy being impressed by some flashy pageant, I’m not fully immersed in the story — I’m thinking about it, rather than experiencing it.
Mary Shelley brilliantly omitted the details of Victor’s experiments in bringing the Creature to life; she focused, instead, on the characters’ struggles and on the repercussions of their choices. She gave us a window into their emotional lives. That's what resonates. I took my cues from Shelley
Music has the power to elevate words, and the ideas behind them — and to amplify their emotional impact. I want to lift Shelley’s gorgeous work off the page with music that makes us feel for the Creature, and all the characters in this heartbreaking tale. "
Opera audiences often appreciate innovation and fresh perspectives. How did you incorporate contemporary elements into the opera while honoring its literary origins?
"In some ways, maybe the biggest innovation and “fresh” perspective of my adaptation is to be as faithful as possible to Mary Shelley’s text, while adapting it enough to flow into modern ears as it’s sung. I didn’t try to give the story new clothes; I wanted to write music that would lift her words and her story off the page, and invite people to experience it in a new way.
I hope that my adaptation of Frankenstein invites people into this richly rewarding story in a way that allows them to see a little bit of themselves in it, and to feel. That’s what music does so well: allow us to feel. I want us to connect with Shelley’s story emotionally, so that it continues to resonate long after the final notes have faded."
What do you hope audiences will take away from your opera adaptation of "Frankenstein"? Are there specific messages or emotions you aim to convey?
"I hope that audiences who experience this Frankenstein opera feel a renewed sense of the urgent need for empathy — that they’ll want to listen a little more closely to others; try to understand someone else’s situation a little more, and show compassion; and consider how our actions affect the people around us, even if they don’t look, talk, or think exactly like us. Tragedy often comes from dehumanizing others; our saving grace is, as always, each other.
The cast, orchestra, creative team, production crew, and Arizona Opera staff have poured every ounce of our beings into creating an experience that will move audiences; we hope very much that this production of Frankenstein speaks to people’s souls."
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