I Give You My Home
Navona, 2023
8/10
A chamber opera inspired by Rose Standish Nichols and the Nichols House Museum in Boston, Beth Wiemann penned this work that’s delivered by the Guerilla Opera, alongside the soprano Aliana de la Guardia, the saxophonist Philipp A. Stäudlin and percussionist Mike Williams.
The stirring and emotive “Scene 1” opens the listen with de la Guardia’s soaring voice alongside the intimate climate, and the stunning vocal acrobatics alongside the playful instrumentation of “Scene 2” follows and emits a very theatric appeal.
In the middle, the conversational “Scene 3” radiates much timeless beauty, while “Scene 4” finds itself in dreamy territory that really showcases de la Guardia’s diverse range.
Approaching the end, “Scene 5” is full of expressive and poetic singing that suits the eloquent sax playing and “Scene 6” finishes with an incredible high notes being explored by the fantastic pipes of de la Guardia.
The opera premiered in Boston on June 3, 2022, and tells the story of Rose, a professional Bostonian woman, and focuses on her professional work as a landscape architect, plus her efforts to affect change through activism in the Women’s Peace Movement and Women’s Suffrage. The players on hand are nothing short of exceptional, and under Wiemann’s guidance they enthrall the listener from beginning to end.
Travels well with: London Cello Connection; Legends And Light Vol. 3