''Hydrogen Jukebox'' is a 1990
chamber opera featuring the music of
Philip Glass and the work of
beat
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery (c ...
poet
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
. Its name is taken from a phrase coined by Ginsberg, from his 1955 poem
Howl
Howl most often refers to:
*Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species
*Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg
Howl may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film
* ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...
.
History
Of the project, Glass said:
In 1988...I happened to run into Allen Ginsberg at St. Mark's Bookshop in New York City and asked him if he would perform with me. We were in the poetry section, and he grabbed a book from the shelf and pointed out ''Wichita Vortex Sutra
"Wichita Vortex Sutra" is an anti-war poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1966. It appears in his collection '' Planet News'' and has also been published in ''Collected Poems 1947-1995'' and ''Collected Poems 1947-1980''. The poem presents Ginsberg ...
''. The poem, written in 1966 and reflecting the anti-war mood of the times, seemed highly appropriate for the occasion. I composed a piano piece to accompany Allen's reading, which took place at the Schubert Theater on Broadway.
Allen and I so thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration that we soon began talking about expanding our performance into an evening-length music-theater work. It was right after the 1988 presidential election, and neither Bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
nor Dukakis seemed to talk about anything that was going on. I remember saying to Allen, if these guys aren't going to talk about the issues then we should.
The piece was intended to form a portrait of
America covering the 1950s through the late 1980s. Glass and Ginsberg sought to incorporate the personal poems of Ginsberg, reflecting on social issues: the
anti-war movement, the
sexual revolution,
drugs,
eastern philosophy,
environmental issues
Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...
. The six vocal parts were thought to represent six archetypal American characters- a
waitress
Waiting staff (British English), waitstaff (North American English), waiters (male) / waitresses (female), or servers (North American English), are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending ...
, a policeman, a businessman, a
cheerleader, a priest, and a
mechanic
A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars.
Duties
Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
.
Ginsberg said:
Ultimately, the motif of ''Hydrogen Jukebox'', the underpinning, the secret message, secret activity, is to relieve human suffering by communicating some kind of enlightened awareness of various themes, topics, obsessions, neuroses, difficulties, problems, perplexities that we encounter as we end the millennium.
The title ''Hydrogen Jukebox'' comes from a verse in the poem ''Howl
Howl most often refers to:
*Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species
*Howl (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg
Howl may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film
* ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 American arthouse b ...
'': '...listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox...' It signifies a state of hypertrophic high-tech, a psychological state in which people are at the limit of their sensory input with civilization's military jukebox, a loud industrial roar, or a music that begins to shake the bones and penetrate the nervous system as a hydrogen bomb may do someday, reminder of apocalypse.
The work formally premiered May 26, 1990 at the
Spoleto Music Festival in
Charleston,
SC. However, the workshop staged version had premiered one month earlier at the
American Music Theater Festival held in the Plays and Players theater, 1714 Delancey Place,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
,
PA on April 26. It ran there until May 6, followed on that closing night by an invitation-only reception attended by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg and other members of the company was held nearby.
The
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...
n premiere was given on April 17, 2003 at the Mount Nelson Theatre (
Hobart,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
) by the
Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music
The University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music offers students an integrated music education based on best international contemporary arts practice.
Education structure
The Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music forms part of the faculty of Arts ...
, conducted by
Douglas Knehans
Douglas Knehans (born 1957, St. Louis, Missouri) is an American/Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Aust ...
and directed by
Robert Jarman
Robert Jarman is an Australian theatre artist based in Hobart, Tasmania. Primarily a director and actor, he is also a writer and designer.
Education
Jarman studied English and Drama at the University of Sydney, where he participated extensively ...
.
Songs
Part one
* "Song No. 1 from ''Iron Horse''"
* "Song No. 2 ''Jahweh and Allah Battle''"
* "Song No. 3 from ''Iron Horse''"
* "Song No. 4 ''To P. O.''"
* "Song No. 5 from ''Crossing Nation; Over Denver Again; Going to Chicago and To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore''"
* "Song #6 from ''
Wichita Vortex Sutra
"Wichita Vortex Sutra" is an anti-war poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1966. It appears in his collection '' Planet News'' and has also been published in ''Collected Poems 1947-1995'' and ''Collected Poems 1947-1980''. The poem presents Ginsberg ...
''
Part two
* "Song No. 7 from ''Howl''"
* "Song No. 8 from ''Cabin in the Rockies''"
* "Song No. 9 from ''Nagasaki Days (Numbers in Red Notebook)''"
* "Song No. 10 ''Aunt Rose''"
* "Song No. 11 from ''The Green Automobile''"
* "Song No. 12 from ''N. S. A. Dope Calypso''"
* "Song No. 13 from ''Nagasaki Days (Everybody's Fantasy)''"
* "Song No. 14 ''Ayers Rock/Uluru Song and "Throw out the Yellow Journalists..."''"
* "Song No. 15 ''Father Death Blues (from Don't Grow Old)''"
Personnel
World Premiere (Spoleto festivals)
*Martin Goldray – conductor
*Philip Glass – piano
*Phillip Bush – keyboards
*Alan Johnson – keyboards
*Nelson Padgett – keyboards
*Jack Kripl – winds
*Rex Benicasa & James Pugliese- percussion
*Richard Peck Jr- winds
*Suzan Hanson – soprano
*Darynn Zimmer – soprano
*Linda Thompson – mezzo-soprano
*Richard Fracker – tenor
*Thomas N. Potter – baritone
*James Butler – bass
*Allen Ginsberg – narrator
*Jerome Sirlin – production design
Recording
*Martin Goldray – keyboards, conductor
*Philip Glass – piano
*Carol Wincenc – flute
*Andrew Sterman – soprano saxophone, bass clarinet
*Frank Cassara & James Pugliese- percussion
*Richard Peck – tenor saxophone
*Elizabeth Futral – soprano
*Michele Eaton – soprano
*Mary Ann Hart – mezzo-soprano
*Richard Fracker – tenor
*Gregory Purnhagen – baritone
*Nathaniel Watson – baritone
*Allen Ginsberg – narrator
*Jerome Sirlin – production design
In popular culture
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
met his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, at the premiere of ''Hydrogen Jukebox'' at the
Spoleto Music Festival in 1990. While interviewing
Josh Brolin
Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...
during an episode of the
Late Show with Stephen Colbert
''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...
originally telecast April 15, 2022, Colbert admitted that when Evelyn asked for his address, he didn't have a pen, so he borrowed one from the person behind him, which happened to be Ginsberg.
Hydrogen Jukebox is a Detroit rock'n'roll band formed in 2019.
References
External links
PhilipGlass.com: Compositions: Hydrogen JukeboxPhilipGlass.com: Recordings: Hydrogen Jukebox
{{Allen Ginsberg
Operas
Operas by Philip Glass
Philip Glass albums
Chamber operas
Works by Allen Ginsberg
1990 operas
Minimalist operas