From the Apple to the Oven: Controversial Women in Classical Music
Women have been portrayed throughout history as fallen creatures - even with the best of intentions, their faults often get the best of them and those around them. From the expected first woman to walk the earth to some of our modern literary greats, women have been painted as complicated creatures. From the Apple to the Oven explores these representations in classical music: what happened, what was said to have happened, and how the music helps bring the character to life in a three-dimensional way.
Eve Song: Snake
In Jake Heggie's first-person narrative from the Bible's Eve, some of the most well-known situations leading to modern man are brought to light. In Snake, we hear Eve's thought process as she meets the infamous serpent and why she makes the decision she does.
I'm Told I'm a Citizen from Mrs. President
Victoria Bond's Mrs. President introduces us to the first woman to ever run for president in 1872, Victoria Woodhull. Shunned by her fellow citizens for supposedly supporting "free love" and for her past as a child medium, Woodhull was cast out and her campaign ultimately erased from the history books. In this aria, Victoria takes to the stage to make a speech as a candidate. The text is derived from her actual speech.
Watch "From the Apple to the Oven" on YouTube