International Opera Awards 2023 shortlists A Thousand Splendid Suns for best “World Premiere.”
A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS PREMIERED BY THE SEATTLE OPERA, FEBRUARY 25, 2023
“As Opera, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a Perfect Fit […]. A Thousand Splendid Suns reaffirms the human connection that crosses cultures and that may, in this era of extreme polarization, be our last hope.” (Musical America Worldwide)
“What a treat to see a world premiere deliver a gripping operatic experience […]. Sheila Silver’s sweeping score is magnificent — dramatic, richly colored, and full of texture and melody. (Opera Wire)
“The opera, which opened Saturday night, brought lyrical, beautiful music to a poignant tale on the McCaw Hall stage.” –The Seattle Times
“Haunting and beautiful, the story and music merge as one in this formidable show. The central truths of hope and love will echo long past the last note and curtain fall.” (Broadway World)
“Ms. Silver’s music is a Porsche – even at idle you feel the power under the hood.” (Post Alley)
SYNOPSIS plus Cast and Orchestral Requirements
MEDIA from Seattle Opera Production
DEVELOPMENT Notes and Workshop Media
What Are People Saying?
“Aldous Huxley once said that, after silence, music comes closest to expressing the inexpressible. We see reflected in music who we are, what it means to be human in this world. Opera is uniquely powerful in this regard: the stagecraft, the dramatic narrative, and the music combined produce heightened emotional tension through which we find the great human themes expressed: loss, pain, love, joy, regret. The arts remain our most powerful teachers of empathy, and it is my hope that this opera proves not only a beautiful musical journey but also an expression—through the tale of Mariam and Laila—of the collective struggles and sacrifices of Afghan women.“ Khaled Hosseini
“In creating the atmosphere of this work, I [Roya Sadat] have tried to show the people the beauty of Afghan women’s lives –– the parts of that world they do not know and the people they have not seen,” she said. “I want to evoke Kabul in the old years, full of songs, poetry, music, color, and joy. Throughout Afghanistan’s history, even on the path of pain and suffering, is the radiant face of a woman who shines.” (AP News)
“In darker scenes, Silver effectively evokes menace with urgent notes that grab like an icy hand on the back of the neck.” (Seattle Times)
“A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, atmospheric work full of lush evocative music rendered in technicolor orchestrations inflected with Afghanish [sic] flourishes. Silver’s music is evocative, like a movie score colorizing the story and directing the emotional energy.” (Post Alley)
“The story is absolutely heartbreaking yet transcendently gorgeous, a reflection upon love and family, the intersection between the two, and the struggles of women in everyday life. I found myself in tears by the end of the performance, the emotional weight of the words of the actors washing over me in waves throughout the opera.” (Drama in the Hood)
“In darker scenes, Silver effectively evokes menace with urgent notes that grab like an icy hand on the back of the neck.” (Seattle Times)
“The music is rich and full at times and stark and jolting at others, just like the lives of Mariam and Laila.” (Broadway World)
“The Hindustani-influenced music is in a class of its own.” (Oregon Arts Watch)
“The score deftly fuses raga-based leitmotifs and drones with Silver’s individual, obviously Western voice. Her melodic gift is matched by a flair for intriguing orchestral colors and solo or chamber textures that suggest glints of light or shadow to give the musical fabric added vibrancy.” (Musical America Worldwide)
“Silver’s score artfully blends familiar Western orchestral and operatic aspects with the sounds of Indigenous Central and South Asian instruments, such as the tabla (drums) and the bansuri (bamboo flute).” (Cross Cut)
“Every once in a while, we are blessed to experience a creation that masterfully bridges the highest artistic musical standards with clear messages and embodiments of social justice. The Seattle Opera’s courageous choice to premiere the great composer Sheila Silver’s adaptation of Hosseini’s “A Thousand Splendid Suns” was an exquisite realization of this powerful, often wrenching story. Among many other things, I’ve long yearned to hear exquisitely-crafted western orchestral castings of Hindustani raga, and, coupled with incredible sets, staging and story, it was unbelievably moving!! Aside from providing my mind and heart with huge new wellsprings of inspiration moving forward, this production also reminded me how extremely important it is to be aware of the levels of patriarchal dominance and even deeply-entrenched institutional misogyny that remain in the world today – and most emphatically not only in Taliban-run Afghanistan. Hearing the unbelievably evocative strains of Steve Gorn’s bansuri swirling in an orchestral realization of the unimaginable suffering of marginalized women added a huge impetus to my own desire to make a difference in whatever ways I can.” (Benjy Wertheimer, Facebook)
“The stagecraft and the power of the music, which combines punches of western music worthy of a Sibelius or a Stravinsky, punctuated by Hindustani motifs, make the experience a wall of unbelievable light and sound come throbbing off the stage with Mariam at the center.” (Northwest Asian Weekly)
“Remarkable, astonishing achievement. I would have imagined such a creation nearly unthinkable in today’s art macrocosm. For once, it feels good to be wrong!” –Giles K, from Instagram
“What Silver calls the “sound world” of the opera takes the characters and audience on an enthralling journey through a vast array of moods and moments that flow into and out of each other in service of the story: pride, nostalgia, confusion, abuse, jealousy, fear, bravery, love, and redemption.” (Post Alley)
“…it speaks to world culture, to human cruelty, to human bonds, to divided war-ravaged countries, to downtrodden women bound by antiquated traditions.” (Oregon Arts Watch)
“I happened to be at the Seattle Opera on the pay-what-you-can night, and I felt the audience reflected how opera was always supposed to be. In my 20 years of classical music-going, this was one of the more diverse audiences I’ve seen for a venue where tickets start at a higher price point than most are comfortable with. The audience was also exhilarating. People gasped and jeered, just like audiences have been for more than four centuries. As the show went on and people became more comfortable, I found myself smiling at the beautiful experience of live opera performances.” (Real Change)
“Kneeling there, before a small army of Taliban soldiers, who are about to execute her … Mariam throws her head back, smiling. Her robes are lit by an unearthly, piercing light that comes to dominate the whole stage (the audience was sitting in mute terror and awe; I was holding back my sobs). It is an ethereal, transcendent moment that you don’t often see or experience anywhere. The power of live theater is revealed here. Other presentations that try to evince a similar feeling of religious awe and ecstasy … pale in comparison. As Miriam sings her last, like a subtle swan song of all delicate yet courageous and resilient people, she captures and sweeps up the audience as if we’ve been sucked into a moving cloud of loss and self-realization.” (Northwest Asian Weekly)
“A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS is a story from the past that is repeating today. It is a story of hope and courage and love. Over a decade in the making, this opera represents the efforts and labors of love of so many. Representative Pramila Jayapal, in attendance on opening night stated, “it was a reminder of the importance of what we are fighting for.” On a night of magic, we were all reminded that hope and courage live in the cracks between the hard rocks of oppression and subjugation. A reminder that love exists in all places, and the yearning in the hearts of those behind the closed walls will always be a light like that of a thousand splendid suns.” (Broadway World)
“It is difficult to think of a way in which this opera and this production could have been improved. We congratulate Seattle Opera for bringing this beautiful and important work into existence[…]. Be prepared to take time to absorb this great work and to recover.” (SGN)
“The world opera premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns was sort of surreal, but then again, so is life. In the same way that Khaled Hosseini’s words struck chords 20 years ago, helping me to imagine a world unlike my own, this performance hit me differently than I’d expected. I did flinch, a few times, at reminders of the traumas in my past, but I was amazed at how it approached the reality of life and its potential for ugliness with so much grace, leaving out unnecessarily triggering moments without actually excluding them from the performance. @khosseini has never been afraid to show us the truth, despite knowing that it will not be comfortable to see. Thanks @seattleopera for opening up worlds of conversation and enlightenment.” –Zena A, from Instagram
“The world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns brought both long time patrons and new crossover patrons to McCaw Hall Saturday evening […]. From the staging which featured a rotating circle (half one set, half another), a portion of a school bus, hanging effects in the air, among other things, the set design and staging really brought the audience into the world at hand. As a musician, I found the music about as on point as it could have been. I loved the change in motif throughout the opera and the use of unorthodox instrumentation as well as passages that were unnerving musically. It all added to the story and the presentation of this unique story.” – Eclectic Arts
“@SeattleOpera’s opening of A Thousand Splendid Suns last night was a revelation. As a student of asian and western baroque, it was daunting, and brave. The piece bares Afghanistan’s wounds, and threads in its day-to-day medicine throughout. A clarion, woven with blessings.” – Kevin K, from Twitter
“Bravo! What a moving, beautiful, magnificent piece. And may peace, empathy and greater human rights expand from this deep and powerful art. Thank you to all the talented cast, crew, compose Sheila Silver, director Roya [Sadat], Bansuri player (Steve Gorn – Bansuri Virtuoso) Steve Gorn and all!” –Gina S, from Facebook