Film of three arias from the opera to be released later in November
Mark Gresham | 11 NOV 2021
On this Veterans Day, The Atlanta Opera has released an audio album of Tom Cipullo’s opera Glory Denied, once again demonstrating the company’s deep commitment and connection to the veteran community. The new album is the world premiere recording of the opera’s fully-orchestrated version. It is currently available in digital format from multiple platforms.
Glory Denied is a distinctly American saga about Floyd James “Jim” Thompson (July 8, 1933 – July 16, 2002), a United States Army Colonel who served in the Vietnam War and became the nation’s longest-held prisoner of war. Thompson spent nearly nine years, from 1964-73, in captivity in South Vietnam, Laos, and North Vietnam, only to return from the jungles of Southeast Asia to a suburban home he barely recognizes. Composer and librettist Tom Cipullo drew material for his chamber opera from Tom Philpott’s 2001 collection of interviews with returning veterans. Since its 2007 premiere, Glory Denied has received more than 20 productions, in addition to being issued on a 2013 recording by Fort Worth Opera Festival.
The composer’s emotionally moving reaction to the album serves as a testament to the power of The Atlanta Opera’s interpretation:
Recording sessions took place in June 2021, with members of The Atlanta Opera Orchestra under the baton of Nicole Paiement. The album features four singers familiar to Atlanta audiences:
- Baritone Michael Mayes, star of Atlanta’s hit productions of Sweeney Todd and Dead Man Walking, sings the role of Cipullo’s protagonist, Colonel Jim Thompson. Mayes has achieved national acclaim for previous performances of the role at Fort Worth Opera, Nashville Opera, Opera Memphis, and Des Moines Metro Opera.
- Soprano Kelly Kaduce portrays Alyce, Jim’s wife, who has moved on with her life. Kaduce, thrilled Atlanta audiences earlier this year as the bullwhip-brandishing Polly in The Threepenny Opera.
- Soprano Maria Valdes, a native of Marietta, GA, makes her role debut as Younger Alyce, following previous Atlanta Opera appearances in 2019’s Frida and 2018’s Charlie Parker’s Yardbird.
- Tenor David Blalock performs the role of Younger Jim, having last appeared with The Atlanta Opera in 2016’s Silent Night.
Later in the month, the company will also premiere an 18-minute short film, My Darling Jim, that pulls three arias from the opera and brings them cinematically to life. My Darling Jim is co-directed by Emmy-winner Felipe Barral and Tomer Zvulun, The Atlanta Opera’s general & artistic director (and a military veteran), with creative direction from Brian Staufenbiel. My Darling Jim draws its title from the first of the arias, in which Valdes, as Younger Alyce, writes a letter to her husband, a young officer serving in Vietnam.
Glory Denied was originally scheduled to be performed live during 2020, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the cancellation, Zvulun says:
In the wake of those spring cancellations, The Atlanta Opera met the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic with an outburst of creativity and innovation that permitted continuing engagement with audiences when many companies around the world were dark. The “Big Tent” series saw the creation of four new productions in two different outdoor venues, as well as a handful of concerts, all of which have made their way to the company’s Spotlight Media streaming platform. The solutions unleashed by that major effort promise to profoundly affect The Atlanta Opera’s future.
Since 2015, The Atlanta Opera has developed a strong reputation for honoring the service of America’s military veterans, regularly presenting operas that tell stories of men and women who serve. Including David T. Little’s Soldier Songs and Kevin Puts’s opera Silent Night, about the Christmas Eve truce of World War I. The company’s award-winning Veterans Program has distributed thousands of tickets enabling veterans and families of the active military to attend performances at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and other venues free of charge.
In September, as an extension of the program, The Atlanta Opera began offering active and retired military personnel free access to its Spotlight Media streaming platform and digital library of full-length operas, short films, and star-studded concerts. Launched last winter, The Atlanta Opera’s Spotlight Media digital platform has been reaching new audiences in Germany, Italy, Israel, and beyond.
My Darling Jim will stream on The Atlanta Opera’s Spotlight Media website for free, while the Glory Denied recording is available on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music. Members new to Spotlight Media in October and November will receive a code to download the :Glory Denied recording. The recording is available online now, and the film will be available mid-November. More information about Spotlight Media access and pricing is available here. ■
Mark Gresham is publisher and principal writer of EarRelevant. he began writing as a music journalist over 30 years ago, but has been a composer of music much longer than that. He was the winner of an ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award for music journalism in 2003.
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