Wayne Shorter's opera and Esperanza spalding

Two of the most visionary and courageous musical personalities of our time — composer Wayne Shorter and librettist and artist Esperanza Spalding — have created a contemporary operatic interpretation of a famous ancient story,... (Iphigenia), which will sound during the 23rd edition of the Jazztopad Festival! However, this composition is not an adaptation of Greek myth, but rather an intervention in the creation of the story itself and in what music and opera are as we know it. Classical and jazz forms collide in a full orchestral score featuring Shorter's groundbreaking method of symphonic improvisation.

... (Iphigenia) multiplies, her identity cracks and becomes divisive, until the stage is occupied by the choir representing her. Through this piece, the authors look at the history of the genre and make demands on its future. They end with tragic heroines singing about suicides and falling into madness in perfect intonation. They end with performances about women dead or dying. Finally, they look beyond the stage — they ask what we will do at this very moment in our collective reality, when we so desperately need new visions for the world. “Our... (Iphigenia) has a sense of autonomy within it,” Spalding says. “In this adventure of life, you have freedom of choice. All the cards are on the table, and Ifigenia can choose, completely free. Through her example, we can learn how to approach everything creatively, harnessing the power of spontaneous engagement. The overriding feeling is human love, the desire to awaken the dreams of youth, free from the pressures of adulthood.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw has created a cappella vocal arrangements, with additional lyrics written by Joy Harjo, Safiya Sinclair and Ganavya Doraiswamy. The production was entrusted to Octopus Theatricals (Mara Isaacs), Cath Brittan and Real Magic, a company founded by Esperanza spalding and Jeff Tang, to develop this project in conditions that allow radical experimentation and open collaboration. The concert, which will be attended by soloists, as well as the NFM Choir and NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, will be conducted by Clark Rundell.

Co-commissioned by Cal Performances from the University of California, Berkeley, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington), The Broad Stage (Los Angeles), ArtSemerson (Boston), Carolina Performing Arts (Chapel Hill, NC), and MASS MoCA (North Adams, Massachusetts).

The project is generously supported by: Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Alexander Leff, Thomas M. Neff, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, New Music USA and all those who supported the crowdfunding campaign... (Ifigenii).

All fans of jazz and improvised music, as well as those who are just starting their adventure with them, are encouraged to purchase a pass for the upcoming 23rd edition of Jazztopad Festival!