Anthony Davis: Amistad
Liner Notes   Cat. No. 80627     Release Date: 2008-01-01
Libretto by Thulani Davis

Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus; Thomas Young, Mark S. Doss, Stephen West, Florence Quivar, Mark Baker; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor

“Amistad is an opera that was ten years in the making. Thulani and I first discussed the idea of making an opera on the Amistad Rebellion in 1986, after the premiere of our opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. We were drawn to the drama of the story, a successful uprising of captives on a slave ship, and the implications of the Amistad incident in an understanding of ourselves and the American experience. Through the Amistad, we could revisit the story of the Middle Passage, the contradictions implicit in the ethos of America, and also explore the emergence of the African-American as a cultural entity. Amistad is my most ambitious work to date and gave me the opportunity to expand upon what I learned from my previous operas as well as the chance to explore new musical areas." -- Anthony Davis

The music of Anthony Davis (b. 1951) embodies an intercultural approach, drawing not only upon traditional and current African-American sources, but upon Javanese gamelan, American Minimalism, and the European and American avant-garde. Davis is best known for his operas. "[X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X] has brought new life to America's conservative operatic scene," enthused Andrew Porter in The New Yorker, "it is not just a stirring and well-fashioned opera — that already is much — but one whose music adds a new, individual voice to those previously heard in our opera houses."

Amistad, Davis's fourth, is an opera in two acts with full orchestra, double chorus, and an integrated jazz ensemble with trap drums that drives its motoric rhythmic flow. In many ways, Amistad revisits aspects of Davis's previous operas, X and Tania, but in a form that exhibits maximum focus and a tightened compositional practice. The musical language is marked by constant motion and kaleidoscopic permutation of the same elements, including a four-note ending cadence that appears constantly, but in ever-shifting guises.

This recording is drawn from Lyric Opera of Chicago's 1997 world-premiere performances.

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Anthony Davis: Amistad

MP3/320 $19.99
WAV $19.99
2xCD $31.98
Amistad, Act I: Overture
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene I: Aria "The unknown is my realm"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: Duet "We may yet get away"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "Lord, you cannot see"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "It's an English word, an Englishman's word"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: Recitative "Land! We've hit land!"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "Ahoy there. Who are you?"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "Not just Nduo. Not just a slave"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "We, at last, have come to naught."
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: Recitative "He's mad too"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: "I believe, sir. You should be glad for your life"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene II: Aria "And me, am I save' ?"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene III: Parade I
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene III: "So these are the savages"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene III: Aria "They yap and snap"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene IV: Aria "They wanted a girl"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene IV: "Chief, what will become of us?"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene IV: Aria "The past is fading daylight"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene IV: Parade II
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene I: "The base of his brain"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene V: "Deep in the festering hold"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene V: "We are grateful, sir"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene V: "This is where the case lies"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act I, Scene V: Aria "The greatest liberty"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene I: Sextet "It's quite a show
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene II: Aria "The moonlight died"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene III: "Mr. President"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IV: Aria "That day, each get one banana"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IV: "I see we're in a spot"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene V: Sextet "We thought they came for salt"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene V: Aria "In this white village"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene V: Recitative "They were forced"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VI: Aria "They come as if from the heavens"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: "How did you come to kill?"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: "Nansi, Brer Nansi"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: "C'mon now, the party's over"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: Recitative "These fools don' b'lieve you"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: "I'm not like you"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VII: Orchestral introduction to scene VIII
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VIII: Aria "It's time to take the helm"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VIII: The Rebellion
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene VIII: Aria "He sleeps at his master's feet"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IX: Aria "To own one's life, one's very breath"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IX: "This is a great day"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IX: Duet "Hush now, Translator"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IX: "The courts say you are free"
Anthony Davis
Buy
Amistad, Act II, Scene IX: "The meaning is clear"
Anthony Davis
Buy