Description of "Machiavelli" (Rome Academy Application)

Machiavelli's Italy was a cauldron of ambition and passion. Riven by a chasm of class and wealth, it was poised between medieval thought and modernity. Its city-states were in constant warfare, promoting a tribal-like culture that commonly perpetuated sadistic cruelty and betrayal. Nevertheless, it was also a fertile period for creative and intellectual achievement, inspired by classical Greek and Roman ideals and epitomized by artists such as Botticelli, da Vinci, and Michelangelo. Machiavelli, who served for many years as secretary to the Florentine Republic, famously wrote "The Prince", which reflected on his many years of negotiating with power, from the treacherous political terrain of his own city, to the historical triumphs and blunders of popes, kings, generals, usurpers and tyrants.

His writing resonates with us: smart language, strong characters and high drama, but most of all a presentation of political issues which are still hotly debated in our present age. It was clear that Machiavelli's ideas were a product of his culture and his experiences. Machiavelli emerges as a dramatic writer akin to Shakespeare, focusing on the motives and morality of political action. His keen observations address questions that are still controversial: what makes a culture vital? what are the responsibilities of a citizen to his society? what is connection between immigration and imperialism? what is the role of religion? His answers do not follow any contemporary political guile. Neither conservative nor liberal, but possibly both, his answers are blunt, unadorned, honest, and unafraid.

This opera aims to capture the passion and inquisitiveness of his writing, the intelligence and contradictions of the man. But I also wish to depict his life, from political influence to exile in the country. As described in Machiavelli's famous letter: after farm work and gambling with woodcutters in the tavern, we would see him put on his ceremonial robes and commune with the ancients in his upstairs library. We would experience him going into battle with the Papal
army, lead by Pope Julius II holding a crucifix, followed by the Sistine Chapel choir singing. The music will express the paradoxes of the age: the pageantry of princes; carnival bawdiness; whispering of conspiracy; soldiers on the march; riotous crowds, engines of war; charismatic speakers; black humor; contemplative moments.

The energy is overwhelmingly male, the only large female role is that of "Fortune", who Renaissance artists often imagined as a beautiful but impetuous woman. Machiavelli is a tenor, Caesar Borgia is a baritone, and Pope Julius II is a bass. Power is an aphrodisiac to powerful men and they swagger when they have it. The singing may become very percussive. The men would need to bark orders, scream, and make percussive vocal sounds in addition to their bel canto. I will employ a large brass section in an endless variety of configurations: slowly evolving chords accompanied by an intense percussion barrage which comes and goes mysteriously; motets in which the hockets subtly show Indonesian influence, heraldic trumpet solos in canon. Some of these brass instruments will be fitted with rivets to provide even more timbral edge. The woodwind players double on saxophone to provide an additional resource to set against the brass. I'd like a very thick sound for the singers to shout against. At other times, a deep bed of polyrhythmic strings fills the space like delicate smoke. A large percussion section is employed, with instruments from around the world, including invented hand-cranked instruments that rub, scratch, and use materials in unusual ways. I will include orchestrations for historic instruments, writing for the unusual physics of the cornetto and sackbut, and the friction of gut strings. The music is contemporary but retains sonic links to the music of Machiavelli's time. Madrigals in four voices, frottola, and canti carnascialeschi will be a part of the sonic world. I favor the period styles that sound the most exotic to us "moderns", especially those which point to directions that the course of Western music did not follow.

The staging will be relatively simple, relying more on projections, costume and movement. Visual artist Lesley Dill will design the stage world. Her transformative work with fabric, costumes, masks and projections was an integral part of my earlier opera "Divide Light" that set the words of Emily Dickinson.

The costumes will mix 21st century clothing with clothing of Machiavelli"s time, functioning in multiple ways. For example, the symbolic nature of power and ownership will be shown in costume: Borgia's with huge shoulders of ambition, and multiple masks to hide his disfigured face, portraying his rise and fall. In the persona of Machiavelli, costumes capture two sides of the man: the humanist man of letters and his doppelganger - the defacto owner of his scandalous writings. The costumes themselves will be actors
in the drama.

The visual projections with text and image will provide a counterpoint to the music and provide contemporary commentary on the more historic operatic narrative.