Tesori: Blue / Kellogg, Hunter, Crouch, Cox, Washington National Opera

$24.99
Label
PENTATONE
Release Date
March 25, 2022
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Jeanine Tesori
    • PERFORMER
      Washington National Opera, Roderick Cox
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      March 25, 2022
    • UPC
      827949096761
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      PTC5186967
    • LABEL
      PENTATONE
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Prologue

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    2. Act I Scene 1: Urgent! - Drop ev'rything! (Girlfriends 1, 3, 2)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    3. Act I Scene 1: I was in the heyday of being in love (The Mother, Girlfriends 1, 2, 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    4. Act I Scene 1: Damn, girl! (3 Girlfriends, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    5. Act I Scene 1: You married a cop? (3 Girlfriends, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    6. Act I Scene 1: I love him (The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    7. Act I Scene 1: What about your obsession? (Girlfriend 3, The Mother, Girlfriends 2, 1)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Briana Hunter, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    8. Act I Scene 1: I'm gonna strap my baby on my back (The Mother, 3 Girlfriends)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    9. Act I Scene 1: You havin' a what? (Girlfriends 3, 2, 1, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    10. Act I Scene 1: Forgive our sistah - She knows not what she do (Girlfriends 1, 3, 2, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    11. Act I Scene 1: Birth that baby boy to term (Girlfriends 3, 2, 1, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    12. Act I Scene 1: Ha! Ha, ha, ha! (Girlfriends 1, 2, 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    13. Act I Scene 1: I'm having this boy. I'm keeping this boy close (The Mother, Girlfriends 1, 2, 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    14. Act I Scene 1: We wish on ev'rything you can wish on (Girlfriends 1, 3, 2)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    15. Act I Scene 1: Scrape the wax off your wings (3 Girlfriends)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    16. Act I Scene 1: Transition

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    17. Act I Scene 2: How you doin', baby? (The Father, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    18. Act I Scene 2: I'm somebody's mother (The Mother, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    19. Act I Scene 2: Hello…Mom! (Nurse, The Mother, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Briana Hunter, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    20. Act I Scene 2: Cup your hand under his head and neck (Nurse, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Ariana Wehr, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    21. Act I Scene 2: Hello…Hello, my son (The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    22. Act I Scene 3: Go, go, go! (Police Officers 1, 2, 3, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    23. Act I Scene 3: Halftime! We're all yours, buddy (Police Officers 3, 2, 1, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Christian Simmons, Martin Luther Clark, Joshua Blue, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    24. Act I Scene 3: How do you feel? (Police Officer 3, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Christian Simmons, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    25. Act I Scene 3: Welcome to the daddy club! (Police Officers 3, 2, 1, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Christian Simmons, Martin Luther Clark, Joshua Blue, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    26. Act I Scene 3: How did you produce a son? (Police Officers 2, 3, 1, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons, Joshua Blue, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    27. Act I Scene 3: I've got a baby boy (The Father, Police Officers 1, 2, 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    28. Act I Scene 3: Here's a toast (Police Officers 3, 2, 1, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Christian Simmons, Martin Luther Clark, Joshua Blue, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    29. Act I Scene 4: Introduction

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    30. Act I Scene 4: You not getting off that easy (The Father, The Son)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Aaron Crouch

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    31. Act I Scene 4: Yes, sir! Got my own private warden (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    32. Act I Scene 4: Moved up here so you could spread out and be by yourself (The Father, The Son)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Aaron Crouch

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    33. Act I Scene 4: No! New York is the richest city in the world (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    34. Act I Scene 4: Stat Stat Statue of Liberty (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    35. Act I Scene 4: The world done change (The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    36. Act I Scene 4: What am I supposed to do? - Stay alive (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    37. Act I Scene 4: You alive, ain't you? (The Father, The Son)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Aaron Crouch

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    38. Act I Scene 4: I am out there in the jungle (The Father, The Son)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Aaron Crouch

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    39. Act I Scene 4: Whatcha gonna do? (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    40. Act I Scene 4: Let me go - No, my son, I will never let you go (The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    41. Act II Scene 1: What is your name, my son? (The Reverend, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    42. Act II Scene 1: Ah! You are the father whose child was lost (The Reverend, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    43. Act II Scene 1: Ah! Your heart is broken, I hear it knocking against your ribs (The Reverend, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    44. Act II Scene 1: This is my badge (The Father, The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    45. Act II Scene 1: When my boy was taken from me (The Father, The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    46. Act II Scene 1: I did not come here seeking redemption (The Father, The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    47. Act II Scene 1: Only a white God (The Father, The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    48. Act II Scene 1: You are walking in a terrible darkness, my son (The Reverend, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    49. Act II Scene 1: May restoring waters clear the night's weeping (The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    50. Act II Scene 1: In my hour of need I seek no salvation from you (The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    51. Act II Scene 2: Come away from the window (Girlfriends 2, 1, 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr, Rehanna Thelwell

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    52. Act II Scene 2: She sits in this matchbox disguised as a house (Girlfriends 3, 2, 1)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    53. Act II Scene 2: She was lying in her bed (Girlfriends 3, 2, 1)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    54. Act II Scene 2: Look at her - She wears the captive shroud of stony death (Girlfriends 3, 1, 2)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    55. Act II Scene 2: Let us go forth (Girlfriends 3, 1, 2)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Rehanna Thelwell, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    56. Act II Scene 2: Oh God! Bring my baby back (The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    57. Act II Scene 2: God, give me back any part of my baby (The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    58. Act II Scene 3: My heart…my heart is heavy tonight (The Reverend, All Congregants)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    59. Act II Scene 3: Somebody… (Male Congregants 1, 2, Female Congregants 2, 1, 3, Male Congregant 3)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Katerina Burton, Ariana Wehr, Rehanna Thelwell, Christian Simmons

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    60. Act II Scene 3: A mother, clear out of her mind (The Reverend, All Congregants)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    61. Act II Scene 3: God, we ask you, take care of this boy (The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    62. Act II Scene 3: Stay alive (The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    63. Act II Scene 3: Son, the light is turning amber. Run! (The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    64. Act II Scene 3: We sing…Christ wore the crown of thorns (The Reverend, All Congregants, Girlfriend 2, Police Officers 2 and 3, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Gordon Hawkins, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    65. Act II Scene 3: Cup your hand under his head and neck (The Mother, The Father, The Reverend, All Congregants)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Kenneth Kellogg, Gordon Hawkins, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    66. Epilogue: Introduction

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    67. Epilogue: I don't know what the hell you talkin' about (The Father, The Son, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Aaron Crouch, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    68. Epilogue: Set aside your sides, eat some set-asides I set aside for my boys (The Mother, The Son, The Father)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    69. Epilogue: You my son - I got deep fried, red-eyed, drip-dried… (The Father, The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Kenneth Kellogg, Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    70. Epilogue: Kneaded, pinched, and prodded (The Mother)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    71. Epilogue: Heavenly Father, we humbly thank you (The Mother, The Son and The Father, All Congregants, The Reverend)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Briana Hunter, Aaron Crouch, Kenneth Kellogg, Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell, Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons, Gordon Hawkins

      Conductor: Roderick Cox

    72. Epilogue: Hey Mom, hey Dad (The Son)

      Composer: Jeanine Tesori

      Ensemble: Washington National Opera Orchestra

      Performer: Aaron Crouch

      Conductor: Roderick Cox


Washington National Opera presents Blue, a contemporary opera on racial injustice in the US today, with a libretto by Tazewell Thompson set to music by Jeanine Tesori. Blue tells the tragic story of an African-American police officer whose son is killed by a fellow officer during a protest. Strongly resonating with the Black Lives Matter movement, the piece is equally groundbreaking thanks to its intimate and layered portrayal of African-American family life on the operatic stage. Historically and musically, Blue compassionately tells a story that is at once painful and identifiable to so many of us.

The Music Critics Association of America named Blue the “Best New Opera” of 2020, while the Financial Times praised it as “an exceptionally strong new opera about race in America”, and hailed Tesori’s music as “eclectic, but assuredly so, full of beauty and eloquence.” The piece is sung by an excellent cast of vocalists, including Kenneth Kellogg as The Father, Briana Hunter as The Mother, and Aaron Crouch as The Son, while The Washington National Opera Orchestra is led by rising star conductor Roderick Cox. Jeanine Tesori is one of the most important American composers of today, with a diverse catalog for musical theatre, opera, film, and television. Tazewell Thompson is an internationally acclaimed director, playwright, teacher, and actor. Washington National Opera is among the leading US opera houses, and has the mission to present stories that reflect the America of today.

REVIEWS:

The libretto is...strong, compact, of-the-moment, and true to racial realities...Tesori’s score is moving in the best way. The recording boasts the same five principal artists as the first productions: bass Kenneth Kellogg (the Father), mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter (the Mother), tenor Aaron Crouch (the Son), baritone Gordon Hawkins (the Reverend), and soprano Ariana Wehr (Girlfriend 1/Congregant 1/Nurse).

Blue embodies the essence of great opera: It unites a deeply moving story with music that stirs the passions and touches the heart. There’s no filler, no moment where composer or librettist lingers too long or self-indulges. It’s a stunning achievement that deserves a permanent place in the repertory.

--San Francisco Classical Voice (Jason Victor Serinus)

If opera can be the barometer of the present, Blue is the opera for our times. Jeanine Tesori’s harmony and natural lyricism afford tension and release — a natural fit for Tazewell Thompson’s tragic storytelling that is occasionally tempered by lighthearted relief. The score, which never devolves to fodder for a sung play, serves as a vehicle of sweeping lyrical expression for the singers, each channeling the pain, anger, and uncertainty the libretto puts them through.

--I Care If You Listen (Esteban Meneses)

A Textura Top 20 Classical Album of 2022!

In a historically and culturally significant confluence of events, three ‘Black' operas premiered in the summer of 2019: Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley's The Central Park Five (at the Long Beach Opera), Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons's Fire Shut Up in My Bones (at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis), and Blue (at The Glimmerglass Festival), the latter the creation of librettist Tazewell Thompson and composer Jeanine Tesori...awarded the Music Critics Association of North America 2020 Award for Best New Opera, [Blue] is the first of the three to be available in a physical form...

Vocal and instrumental forces come together eloquently in this superb realization by the Washington National Opera. Thompson's libretto is moving and panoramic, and Tesori's music is stylistically diverse yet always pointedly connected to the text. With his stentorian delivery, bass Kenneth Kellogg brings the father vividly to life, as do mezzo-soprano Briana Hunter as the mother and tenor Aaron Crouch the son. Fleshing out the vocal parts memorably are baritone Gordon Hawkins as the reverend, and three pairs of female (Ariana Wehr, Katerina Burton, Rehanna Thelwell) and male (Joshua Blue, Martin Luther Clark, Christian Simmons) singers as girlfriends and police officers; finally, the Washington National Opera Orchestra under the direction of conductor Roderick Cox supports the singers with deeply engaged playing. Recorded in June 2021 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House, Blue boasts exceptional sound quality.

Pentatone honours Tesori and Thompson's two-act creation with a handsome physical presentation that houses two CDs and in-depth booklet (containing commentaries and libretto) within a sturdy six-panel package. The label's catalogue includes stellar releases of repertory works, but Pentatone demonstrates admirable advocacy for contemporary work in its programming too, Blue a prime illustration.

Blue is polyphonic, expressive, and timely but above all multi-dimensional... The full spectrum of human experience—despair, romance, joy, redemption, forgiveness, etc.—is encompassed by this thought-provoking, life-affirming creation. It's an opera that in a perfect world would be on every major opera company's short-list of works under consideration for future presentation.

--Textura