About the Opera
Hemingway was a larger-than-life personality.
In his popular novel, For Whom The Bell Tolls, he projects himself in the character of Robert Jordan - an idealistic young American in 1930's fascist Spain who accepts a doomed mission to blow up a bridge.
Through his lyrical melody-driven music, Brian Grundstrom brings out the emotional depth of the characters and brings new insight to this Hemmingway classic. Using the full versatility of opera, Dorsen's libretto and Grundstrom's music are able to not only explore Hemmingway's themes of trust, loyalty, honor, love, betrayal, fear, pain, loss, and sacrifice but add modern insight into the toxic nature of Jordan's (Hemmingway's) masculinity as his notions of honor clash with the reality of his situation.
In his popular novel, For Whom The Bell Tolls, he projects himself in the character of Robert Jordan - an idealistic young American in 1930's fascist Spain who accepts a doomed mission to blow up a bridge.
Through his lyrical melody-driven music, Brian Grundstrom brings out the emotional depth of the characters and brings new insight to this Hemmingway classic. Using the full versatility of opera, Dorsen's libretto and Grundstrom's music are able to not only explore Hemmingway's themes of trust, loyalty, honor, love, betrayal, fear, pain, loss, and sacrifice but add modern insight into the toxic nature of Jordan's (Hemmingway's) masculinity as his notions of honor clash with the reality of his situation.
Synopsis
For Whom the Bell Tolls is set in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War. In this early scene, the American Robert Jordan, who has travelled to Spain to fight against the fascists, is meeting a band of Guerrilla fighters for the first time. He has been assigned by an allied Russian leader to join this band and blow up a bridge as part of an offensive attack against the Fascists. The leader of the band, Pablo, whose leadership is threatened by his wife Pilar, mocks Robert Jordan by attempting to undermine his credibility. Pablo questions Robert Jordan's authenticity by insisting that he could not possibly be the American professor he says he is if he does not even have a beard. This introduces Pablo as the weak and flawed traitor he will become, only caring about his own personal safety. We also see Pilar emerging as the de facto leader, as the other men in the band side with her in her decision to help Robert Jordan blow up the bridge. In this tragic war-time story, with so much suffering, sacrifice and betrayal, this humorous scene allows for a much needed moment of levity.