''The Making of the Representative for Planet 8'' is a full-scale

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

by Philip Glass with a libretto by Doris Lessing based on her novel of the same name, first performed in 1988. Together with Glass's 1997 opera ''

The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five ''The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five'' is a 1980 science fiction novel by Doris Lessing. It is the second book in her five-book '' Canopus in Argos'' series, the first being '' Shikasta'' (1979). It was first published in the Unit ...

'', it is part of a planned trilogy of operas based on Lessing's ''

Canopus in Argos ''Canopus in Argos: Archives'' is a sequence of five science fiction novels by Nobel laureate author Doris Lessing, which portray a number of societies at different stages of development, over a great period of time. The focus is on accelerate ...

'' novels. The opera was co-commissioned by

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

, Houston Grand Opera,

Het Muziektheater The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, the principal opera house in Amsterdam that is home of Dutch National Opera, Dutch National Ballet and ...

, Amsterdam, and

Theater Kiel Theater Kiel is a theatre company in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is jointly funded by the city and the state. The company produces opera, musical, ballet, plays, and theatre for youth and children, in three different build ...

, and co-produced with

Artpark Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park (or Earl W. Brydges State Artpark) is a state park located in the Village of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. The park, which is officially named after former New York State Senator Earl Brydges, is ge ...

, Lewiston, New York State.

Performance history

The opera was first performed at Houston Grand Opera on 8 July 1988. The British premiere was 9 November 1988 by English National Opera at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

.English National Opera programme notes. Henrietta Bredin (editor), Battley Brothers Printers, London. This production was broadcast live in the UK on BBC Radio 3 on 13 December 1988.

Roles

Synopsis

The people of Planet 8 are peaceful and content, until one of the Canopean Agents arrives and tells them to prepare for an impending ice age. The embattled population fights courageously in the face of certain death, and their efforts are transformed when they become the one single "representative" of the planet's people and culture.

Recordings

Unlike many of Philip Glass's other operas, ''The Making of the Representative for Planet 8'' has not been recorded for CD sale.

References

External links

Dedicated page on the official web site of Philip Glass
dorislessing.org

by

John Rockwell John Sargent Rockwell (born September 16, 1940) is an American music critic, dance critic and arts administrator. According to '' Grove Music Online'', "Rockwell brings two signal attributes to his critical work: a genuine admiration for all ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', 11 July 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Making Of The Representative For Planet 8, The 1988 operas Fiction set around Canopus Opera world premieres at Houston Grand Opera Minimalist operas Operas Operas by Philip Glass Science fiction operas Operas based on novels Works by Doris Lessing