Skip to main content

_We Shall Not Be Moved_(2017) and Opera Philadelphia

We Shall Not Be Moved was composed by Daniel Bernard Roumain with a libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and directed by Bill T. Jones. The opera brings in musical signifiers from several genres while pointedly critiquing issues such as police brutality, the rights of transgender individuals, and structural racism within the US public education system. While the opera has not been taken on by another company since its premiere in 2017, it is an overlooked example of the possibilities illuminated by the frameworks and orientations of Black Opera as defined by Naomi André, and, I would argue, contemporary US opera more broadly. 

The opera grew out of an Opera Philadelphia collaboration with a non-profit called Arts Sanctuary called "Hip H'Opera," initially launched in 2007. In the Hip H'Opera program, students "[learned] the history and aesthetics of hip-hop and opera . . . and then "[used] poetry, fiction, and non-fiction [to capture] their own urban stories." The second phase of the program used the students' writings as inspiration for the libretto of We Shall Not Be Moved. 

Pictured: Production still, We Shall Not Be Moved. 

The opera centers on the experience of four teenagers, who refer to themselves as "the Family," dealing with the consequences of Philadelphia's 2014 public-school crisis, in which twenty-three schools shut down. After a violent altercation occurs when one of the family members is threatened with sexual assault and another prevents it, the family flees to the Osage Avenue site of the 1985 MOVE bombing. It is here that the second key event drawn from Philadelphia's history comes to bear upon the opera, that of the bombing, in which eleven members of the MOVE Black liberation group, including five children, were killed by a police helicopter that dropped explosives on the house to end a confrontation between the activists and police. The Family hides (unknowingly) in the site of the bombing, where, in taking refuge, they discover the house that remains is haunted by the ghosts (the OGs) that remain. The Family is pursued by a well-meaning policewoman from the neighborhood, and as a consequence of the encounter, the Family must contemplate greater violence to stay undetected. The opera ends ambiguously, with Officer Ramirez being interviewed by a local news reporter after being released by the Family, as the latter's fate remains unanswered. [Full synopsis here.] 

We Shall Not Be Moved integrates operatic conventions such as arias sung with traditional vibrato with new signifiers like spoken-word poetry and breakdancing. In the aria "Love is the only word sweeter than Black," for example, countertenor John Holiday fuses moments of Baroque ornamentation with belted, straight-tone riffs drawn from the genre of R&B and even sometimes indie-pop. The aria begins with a simple, plaintive introduction consisting of repeated chords on the piano and long lines in teh cello, as two of the family members share platitudes about love. The countertenor of John Blue (sung by Holiday) enters above the low voices of John Mack and John Little, and intertwines with a piercing obbligato played by solo violin. Holiday's voice and the violin are somehow both cool and warm in their juxtaposition to the low timbres previously heard: "Say 'Black' and hear 'yes'/say 'Black' and hear 'enough.'/Say 'love' is the only word sweeter than 'Black.'" Holiday's interpretation is raw with emotion and yet refined musically as he riffs on this final statement, repeating it again and again like an invocation. 

Pictured: The Family


We Shall Not Be Moved has not been performed since 2017, but Opera Philadelphia re-screened the original production in 2018 and 2020. 

-Megan Steigerwald Ille

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 9, 2022 at 7:37 AM

    Dr. Steigerwald, I feel like this blog post really created a clear picture in my mind of what it would be like to see the opera. The photos you chose also really add to the concept of the family. I think highlighting contemporary works like this that draw attention to events affecting people in real time is extremely important. I hope this opera gets performed more!
    - Laura Ruple

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Williams (in the past 10 years)

John Williams is most well-known for composing recognizable themes and scores for Jaws, Star Wars, Superman, E.T., Harry Potter, and more. However, most casual listeners of film music (especially  among classical musicians) miss out on the wide variety of styles Williams utilizes throughout his works, beyond the famous main titles. I would like to present some of his lesser-known film works of the past ten years as a starting point for further listening. It is also important to mention that Williams has played a unique role in bridging the gap between film music and the concert hall. Williams originally studied piano at Juilliard before his composition career began. His classical background is evident in his large symphonic orchestration and neoclassical/neoromantic aesthetics. He is credited with bringing the orchestral sound to blockbuster film music in the 1970s, and he uses a Wagnerian leitmotivic approach to score with recognizable themes. Williams became the conductor for th...
14 comments
Read more

Hyejung Yoon

  “My works reflect my devotion to God, my love to my husband and children…and my life.” I recently had conversations with a composer, Hyejung Yoon . I had known her since August 2021, yet we seldom talked about her life and music. I got to learn more about this incredible person only recently. I am delighted to share her music on this blog.   Hyejung is a composer based in South Korea and the United States. She holds a DMA degree from CCM and worked with Professor Mara Helmuth during her years in school. Before 2014, she specialized in interactive computer music and serial music that recalls 18 th -century musical style. After her marriage, she ceased writing avant-garde and experimental music and turned her attention to acoustic music.   The first piece by Hyejung I would like to share with the readers is Duo for Two Violins (2012). Hyejung told me that this piece is “abstract but mathematical.” The work often evokes 18 th -century fugue and creates structural tension a...
15 comments
Read more

Richard Blackford with the Bio Music

Richard Blackford was born in London in 1954. And he studied composition with John Lambert and conducted at the Royal College of Music, then with Hans Werner Henze in Rome. During studying in Italia, he was hailed by the Italian press as "the brightest new star in the constellation of the European avant-garde." On returning to London in 1977, he established the music theatre department at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While at the same time continuing his work on the opera 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.' During the 1980s, Blackford became increasingly involved in theatre and television. He composed incidental music for plays and a number of scores for television dramas and documentaries. And, He is the recipient of several awards, including the Houston Film Festival (First Prize), the Royal Television Society Award, the Mendelssohn Scholarship, and the Tagore Gold Medal. In his works, he has composed in virtually every genre; ballet, opera, orchestr...
9 comments
Read more