In December the Manhattan School of Music gave three staged performances of Lee Hoiby’s “Summer & Smoke,” a 1971 adaptation of a Tennessee Williams piece with a libretto by Lanford Wilson.
Anthony Tommasini in the Times gave a very positive review, especially of the work referring to the “sure dramatic pacing and understated expressivity, in music admirable for its directness and melodic grace” (When Youthful Desire Grows Into Regret). Not surprisingly, James Jordon (Parterre Box) was harsher in his review for the New York Post saying the original Williams material was a rehash of “Streetcar” and that the opera has not held up well (Strong voices, clear diction rise above ‘Smoke’).
The best coverage came from the New York Observer, which was prompted to run an unusually long (by today’s newspaper standards anyway) and thoughtful profile of the 84 year-old composer by Zachary Woolfe (The Lonely Composer).
Previously on My Big Gay Ears:
Hoiby’s Iraq Letter in new orchestral version
Lee Hoiby Cooks Up Tasty Operas and Extra Helpings of Art Songs
