MANHATTAN IN CHARCOAL
A Chamber Opera
Manhattan in Charcoal, composed by Gene Pritsker for the libretto written by Jacob Miller, explores the life and loves of an artist in New York City in the early days of the 21st Century who, despite being broke and lacking recognition, struggles to find his way, retain his integrity and, in the meantime, not go entirely crazy. In its dramatic conclusion, the triumph of Manhattan in Charcoal resonates in the unanswerable questions the opera leaves us with regarding art and love, and the survival and durability of both.
VOCALS
Narrator/Poet - Jacob Miller (speaker)
Artist - Charles Coleman (baritone)
Beatrice - Lynn Norris (soprano)
Art Buyers/Critics Chorus
Eleanor Taylor - soprano
Constance Beavon - alto
Arnie Rodriguez - tenor
Doug Shapiro - bass
MUSICIANS
Margaret Lancaster - flute
Roni Gal-Ed - oboe
Michiyo Suzuki - clarinet
Damian Primis - bassoon
Franz Hackl - trumpet
Mike Seltzer - trombone
David Rozenblatt - percussion
Derin Oge - piano
Lynn Bechtold - violin
Mioi Takeda - violin
Edmundo Ramirez - viola
Anneke Schaul-Yoder - cello
Mat Fieldes - bass
PART 1
1. When Even the Village Feels Empty
2. On the Avenue of Art
3. The World of Imagination
4. Shivering
5. To What Are We Drinking
PART 2
6. Outsider Art
7. In the Mist, Stone Cheeks Glisten
8. Celebrated Manhattan in Charcoal
9. The Pinch of Being Broke Again
PART 3
10. Art Dealers Dance
11. Just Give Me Something That Will Sell
12. The Charcoal Simplicity of Our City
13. Just the Way I Draw
14. The Way That Girl Holds On To His Arm
PART 4
15. Shoeprints in the Rain Slicked Sidewalk
16. Is there Someone Else
17. Loitering at the Tall Door of Your Heart
18. Now That I’ve Destroyed His Art
19. But There Is and Has Always Been Only You
20. The Night’s Familiar Black Sheet is Ripped
21. New York’s Challenge
Mixed and mastered by Sheldon Steiger
Recorded at Bunker Studio
Aaron Nevezie - engineer
Andy Plovnick - assistant
Produced by Gene Pritsker, Jacob Miller and Sheldon Steiger
Cover Artwork by Jacob Miller
Cover & Insert Layout Design by E.V. Svetova
COMPOSERS CONCORDANCE RECORDS Directors: Gene Pritsker, Dan Cooper, Milica Paranosic
Composers Concordance Records presents thematically-related recordings of modern music produced with the latest developments in studio precision. CCR is developing new concepts of what an album can be, bringing new music and new mediums together to a new level of cross-genre transcendence. Our goal is simple: good music recorded well, pushing the boundaries of sound and composition.
