It’s 1851 and there’s gold in the hills. The bedraggled, desperate and fortune seekers are making their way to the West. It’s a time of hope, strife and bedlam. In small towns not so far from Tahoe, Chinese, Chileans, Mexicans, Hawaiians and people from other parts of the states migrated west to pan for gold along the Feather and Yuba rivers. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams uses this time as the foundation for his latest opera, “The Girls of the Golden West.”
Nov. 21-Dec. 10 | 2 & 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco Opera | San Francisco
“The plot came together in a variety of scenes. I’ve been working with an extraordinary stage director, Peter Sellars,” says Adams.
The project is a collaboration between him and Sellars, who also wrote the libretto.
“I love the area. I brought my work up here and composed some of my pieces. It’s a privilege to live with these stories. Life is much easier now. It was so harsh and different back then.”
–John Adams
They have worked on other projects together and had their first opening with “Nixon in China” in 1987. Adams has delved into numerous controversial topics with other projects such as Dr. Atomic (about atomic bombs) and a production that explores terrorism in the Middle East.
WATCH: John Adams & Peter Sellers discuss the creation of the opera
Adams owns a small cabin along the wild flowing Yuba River between Downieville and Sierraville. It’s a place where gold was once mined and thousands of rough and tumble men and women came west to find fortune. He spent a good part of time in the Tahoe National Forest writing and composing the opera.
“I wanted to do opera work that specifically addressed my love for California and the idea of doing something about the Gold Rush seemed perfect,” explains Adams, who juxtaposes this time period in history with Silicon Valley as our current modern-day Gold Rush. “It’s not unlike the feverish desires for material gain and instant gratification that typified the Gold Rush in the 1850s.”
Adams explored Puccini’s opera entitled, “La fanciulla del West,” which was based on the play, “The Girl of the Golden West,” written by American author David Belasco in 1905.
“The stereotypes [in Puccini’s opera] are out of touch with the reality of the 1850s,” Adams says. “We went to original sources, using letters, journals, newspaper accounts and diaries to create a libretto in which every word was authentically spoken during the Gold Rush.”
The first half of opera is based on the Shirley Letters. Louise Clappe aka Dame Shirley moved from Massachusetts with her husband, a physician. They found themselves in a camp on the Feather River near Quincy. The opera is based on the letters she wrote to her sister over a 16-month period. According to Adams, Dame Shirley wrote humorous, vivid descriptions of this time period. As the main character in the opera, Dame Shirley brings the piece to life with her stories. Adams found Gold Rush songs from the era, stripped out the lyrics and set it to his own music.
“An all-male chorus sings and there is a lot of humor,” says Adams.
The second half of the opera gets a bit darker and delves into the lynching of a young Mexican woman, who was being harassed by a white miner. She defended herself by stabbing him, which led to his demise. She was given a quick trial and was hanged within 24 hours. This is a culminating event for the opera.
For Adams, this story is timely and relevant in the current climate around female objectification and since more women are coming to the forefront, speaking out about sexual harassment, intimidation and abuse. Adams began work on the opera in 2015 and is currently in rehearsals gearing up for a Nov. 22 opening at the San Francisco Opera. He truly dug deep and mined something unique that isn’t often a topic found in the opera world.
“I love the area. I brought my work up here and composed some of my pieces. It’s a privilege to live with these stories. Life is much easier now. It was so harsh and different back then,” says Adams.
The San Francisco Opera cast and crew, bring to life a time of racial strife, desperation and the fervent hope of striking rich with the beautiful Sierra as the backdrop.
For more information or for tickets, visit sfopera.com.
