Brokeback Mountain opera to open in Madrid, nine years after hit film
Next week will see world premiere of new version of love story of two American cowboys
It is a tale that has pushed the boundaries of print and film. Now, Brokeback Mountain, the tragic love story of two American cowboys, is looking to again chart new territory.
Next week will see the world premiere of the opera version of Brokeback Mountain at Madrid's Teatro Real. The production is based on the 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, which also inspired the 2005 Oscar-winning film.
After reading Proulx's tale of doomed lovers, composer Charles Wuorinen knew he had the makings of a tragic opera. "In older operas, there would be an illegitimate child or difference of social classes," said Wuorinen. "Same-sex love, especially when it takes place in an environment where it's absolutely forbidden, is a contemporary version of the same eternal problem."
The Pulitzer-prize winning American composer approached Proulx in 2007 to ask for her blessing to adapt the story for opera. Proulx went one step further, offering to write the libretto.
The landscape is meant to be magnificent and impressive, but also very harsh
The result is a production that brings to life the Proulx version of the story, with an emphasis on the rugged Wyoming landscape. The cinematography of the Ang Lee-directed film, while beautiful, failed to capture the true nature of the landscape, said Wuorinen. "The landscape is meant to be magnificent and impressive, but also very harsh and very dangerous," he said.