Garrett Fisher Artist Statement

I’ve always been moved by the mystery of ritual and am attracted to stylized theatrical forms, including Chinese opera, Noh theater, Greek tragedy, medieval liturgical drama and Elizabethan drama. Each of my operas is a ritual that invites the audience into a mythical and archetypal world; and like a mosaic, my operas explore geometries inherent in their subjects.  Characters are often seen as reflections of one another, exploring ideas rather than forming distinct personalities. The aim of each opera is to take the viewer through a rite of passage in which the musical, poetic and dramatic facets of the piece help elicit a new awareness.

Thomas More was a leading humanist scholar and Lord Chancellor to King Henry VIII of England from 1529 to 1532.  More wrote Utopia, an account of an ideal society with equality and justice for all. He is chiefly remembered for his principled refusal to accept Henry's claim to be supreme head of the Church of England, a decision that ended his political career and led to his execution as a traitor. In 1935 the Catholic Church canonized More and he was later declared the patron saint of lawyers and statesmen.

Rather than a literal interpretation of a historical situation, The Passion of Saint Thomas More is a meditation on the integrity of More’s decision to “hold his pen.”  Through this meditation, one discovers an inevitable sadness, yet also clarity and strength that ultimately brings renewal and enlightenment.  The structure of the drama involves only two acts and a “Masque,” a dance which is performed halfway through the plot and which sets the mood and space for the second half of the piece.  The vocalists play the three main characters: More, his daughter Margaret, and King Henry VIII.  Each character has an angel counterpart, serving as a link between earth and heaven and offering guidance as the characters grapple with the ramifications of More’s difficult choice. 

The music is based on a single melodic fragment that develops and expands during the course of the drama; the use of key phrases and melodies, repeated by different characters in different situations, helps to formalize the relationships between the characters, distance them from their historical setting, and place them in an eternal present.  My use of an eclectic ensemble, with instruments from multiple cultures, also frees the narrative from any specific culture or historical time period.

I’ve composed the role of Thomas More for a soprano.  By reversing the gender of More, I place him in musical opposition to King Henry VIII, played by a baritone, and alongside the role of More’s daughter, Margaret, played by a soprano.  In doing so, I also hope to reinterpret the Elizabethan and Noh traditions of male actors playing women.

In this and other operas, I believe that an engaging performance comes, in part, from the ensemble’s commitment to the process.  I try to find a balance between structure and freedom to give the ensemble solid grounding with enough space to individualize the role.  I  weave “ragas,” inspired by the Indian classical tradition, into my scores.  These are rules governing ways in which the performers can improvise.  Each piece evolves through a series of rehearsals in which each contributor’s voice is heard and incorporated into the larger whole.  In this sense, the version of The Passion of Saint Thomas More that was created ten years ago is different than the one you’ll experience tonight.

In creating the pieces, I place a strong emphasis on the visual component of the performance.  Whereas in traditional Western opera, staging and design are “interpretations,” I find that movement and visual elements, such as masks, are integral parts of my work.  In structuring the scores, I build in a sense of openness that allows the visual elements to be equal to the music.  I collaborate with participants to develop and refine all aspects of the opera.

As with Noh theater and Chinese opera, which have categories of plays such as  Warrior play or God play, I’ve discovered my own categories and traditions.  With The Passion of Saint Thomas More, I draw upon the medieval passion play form; Moon in the Bucket (1998) is inspired by the Noh theater; Dream of Zeus (2004) draws upon ancient Greek tragedy; Stargazer (2006) is a hybrid of the different forms.  Just as Noh combines a series of plays into a larger whole, I hope to create larger works through combinations of my operas.

–Garrett Fisher

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