There is righteous anger, spectacularly expressed. There is, in fact, plenty of boisterousness in “Girls,” both splendid and shocking.
The populist spirit of the 49ers, the lack of regard for the environment in pursuit of wealth, along with the rampant racism against Latinos, Chinese and black people has created the expectation of the kind of political opera that the lyric stage has historically been very adept at. Without question, the most highly anticipated new opera of the year - a year in which Adams turned 70 and Sellars, 60 - “Girls” has also been presented as the first opera of Trump times. That tone has already taken many aback with some startlingly negative reviews as well as bending-over-backward attempts to find some value in a work by a team that has given us operatic masterpieces in the past. She sets the tone, and she is its unlikely heroine. But ultimately, “Girls” revolves around a single woman. He and Adams chose the title as an arch comment on Puccini’s melodramatic early 20th century Gold Rush opera, “La Fanciulla del West” (Girl of the Golden West). Peter Sellars was responsible for the “Girls” concept, the libretto adapted from the historical texts (such as newspaper clippings, speeches, slogans and folk songs, but particularly Dame Shirley’s letters) and the production. Under the pen name Dame Shirley, she wrote a series of eloquent, richly detailed letters about the thoughtless mob rule, which she described with a clarity, calm and remarkable capacity to retain her sense of wonder. One, Louise Clappe, was a young doctor’s new wife. The few at the Gold Rush camps tended to be wives of important men, prostitutes, entertainers, Native Americans or Californios, the original Mexican settlers. You will pass encampments of homeless seemingly growing in direct proportion to the invasion of newly minted tech millionaires in San Francisco, where there is nothing close to parity for women trying to cash in on Silicon Valley gold. It doesn’t matter from which direction you approach the War Memorial Opera House. That alone makes “Girls” an opera for our time.
And there was no sense of, let alone regard for, the earth-shaking social implications that a sudden infusion of massive wealth would have on the state, the nation and ultimately the world. The California Gold Rush was a young man’s game of strike-it-rich.
There weren’t very many girls to choose from for John Adams’ new opera, “Girls of the Gold West,” which had its premiere here last week.
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