Program note:
In classical music, it is quite unusual for composers to collaborate, but it wasn't like that among Flemish Renaissance painters –– if the painter in the studio next door did better angels and you painted better flowers, it wasn't unusual for a collaboration to ensue. In my case, however, the requests for collaboration has often come from others, and Julia Wolfe, David Lang and I found ourselves embarking on our third collaborative piece in 2004, courtesy of the Cologne-based musikFabrik ensemble and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival.
The two other Gordon/Lang/Wolfe collaborative works –– Lost Objects and The Carbon Copy Building–– are made up of numerous short musical movements. With Shelter we wanted to stretch out a bit, and we conceived of the piece in seven longer movements. Once again we reunited with Deborah Artman, who had written the libretto for Lost Objects. Like Lost Objects, Shelter is a staged oratorio, but with smaller forces: three sopranos and a large mixed ensemble. And we reunited also with Ridge Theater and their principal artists, director Bob McGrath, visual artist Laurie Olinder and filmmaker Bill Morrison, our collaborators on The Carbon Copy Building,
––Michael Gordon
Libretto:
Shelter
Libretto by Deborah Artman
Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe
1. Before I Enter
Before I enter my house
I touch the doorframe
before I enter my house
I bow
before I enter my house
I step up high and then bow low
I pat my pockets for my keys
I leave my shoes at the door
I push aside the skin of the door
I adjust my eyes to the dark
I put the keys in a bowl
I kiss my fingers and pat the scroll
I have no key
I have no door
I step up
before I enter my house
I climb a ladder
I get down on my knees and crawl
I crouch down
I punch in a code on a key pad
I fix my face
I lift the flap of wool
I lift the flap of sheep skin
I slide a screen to the side
I step around a wall
I push aside the bamboo and palm
I wipe my feet
I take off my shoes
I check the fire
before I enter my house
I check under the mat for the only key
I sign my name
I show my eye
I show my fingerprint
I show my hand
I crawl through a tunnel
I take a deep breath
I breathe a sigh of relief
I climb down a hole
I light a candle
I brace myself
I turn on the lights
2. Is the Wind
Is the wind at my back?
Do I face the sun?
Can I see my enemy?
3. The Boy Sleeps
The boy sleeps
4. American Home
concrete - 20 yards
reinforced steel - 1000 feet
lumber - 1000 2 x 10’s, 2 x 6’s, 2 x 4’s
plywood - 500 sheets
nails and screws - 300 lbs
glue - 3 cases
tar paper -18 rolls
windows - 700 square feet of glass
wire - 3 miles
copper pipe - 1 mile
heating system/air-conditioning
sheetrock - 200 sheets
joint compound - 15 5-gallon buckets
paint - 30 gallons
doors - 14
wooden trim - 1 mile, for windows and doors
flooring - 2800 square feet
shingles - 75 bundles
vents - 13 in basement
siding - 4000 square feet
insulation - 50 rolls
stairs -1 set, oak
smoke detectors - 4 or 5
washing machine and dryer
bathrooms
plumbing fixtures
electrical fixtures
2 tubs and a shower
3 sinks
tile - 200 square feet
oven
refrigerator
microwave
kitchen counter tops
cabinets
sinks and fixtures
one chimney, fireproof
chimney pipe - 30 feet, fireproof
well
septic system
driveway
footing drains - 400 feet
gutters and downspouts - 100 feet
lighting fixtures - 30 (inside & outside)
landscaping
5. Porch
Summer evenings and lemonade
A time when the whole town knew each other and said ''hello''
First came screens against the bugs
Then came glass against the chill
Then came walls against the winter
The street became so loud with cars and trucks
Passersby diminished
Inside there is air-conditioning and TV
6. I Want to Live
I want to live where you live
7. What We Build
No house
No tower
No temple
No castle
No dwelling built by human hands is eternal
