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Dust is an opera by Robert Ashley and Yukihiro Yoshihara (video direction) whose imaginary setting is a street corner anywhere in the world, where those who live on the fringes of society gather to talk, to each other and to themselves, about life-changing events, missed opportunities, memory, loss, and regret. Five "street people" recount the memories and experiences of one of their group, a man who has lost his legs in some unnamed war. As part of the experience of losing his legs, he began a conversation with God, under the influence of the morphine he was given to ease his pain. Now he wishes that the conversation, which was interrupted when the morphine wore off, could be continued so that he could get the "secret word" that would stop all wars and suffering. Personnel: Robert Ashley, Sam Ashley, Thomas Buckner, Jacqueline Humbert, Joan La Barbara - Voices; "Blue" Gene Tyranny - synthesizer; Tom Hamilton - live mixing and sound processing; electronic orchestration by Robert Ashley, Tom Hamilton and "Blue" Gene Tyranny; sound effects for "Friends" composed by Tom Hamilton. Double CD comes in a jewel box and includes the 160-page libretto in a slipcase.
Details
Cat. number: LCD 1006
Year: 2007
Notes:
Subtitled "An Opera By Robert Ashley"
The double CD jewelcase is housed in a papersleeve and comes with a 160 pages libretto (ISBN: 0-9679974-0-2).
Dust was recorded live at The Kitchen, New York. It was edited and mixed at 10 Beach Street, New York.
Dust was commissioned by Kanagawa Arts Foundation and Dorothea Tanning. The opera was produced by Yasuyo Kondo for Kanagawa Arts Foundation and by Mimi Johnson for Performing Artservices, Inc.
The Japanese premiere took place in Yokohama at Kanagawa Prefectural Concert Hall on November 15, 1998; the U.S. premiere followed at The Kitchen in New York on April 14, 1999.
Video Design and Staging by Yukihiro Yoshihara.
