I am seeking the name of an opera by Mozart that was featured on the
Ovation netwok. In the final scene- of what looks like a modern
adaptation- a man states that he is not a singer so he will read a
poem by a German poet. I remember fragments of the poem's theme that
included lines to the effect that a tree grows in a meadow and its
roots will descend into your grave; two horses play in a field and
they will pull your coffin.

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 17 Oct 2003 16:31 PDT

About when did you see the opera on Ovation?  

markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by wadadah-ga on 18 Oct 2003 14:05 PDT

Was seen on Ovation within the last 3-4 weeks on Time-Warner in New York

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 18 Oct 2003 14:46 PDT

wadadah --

Your impression that the opera seemed to be a "modern adaptation" is a
helpful clue.  By any chance did the opera's action take place, at
least in part, in a modern office setting? (Such a production appears
to be in Ovation's current program inventory, although I have not yet
been able to nail down a cablecast date within the time frame you have
provided.)

markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by wadadah-ga on 18 Oct 2003 22:53 PDT

That would be a reasonable assumption. A mixed gender suited Greek
chorus was evident. I only caught the last 5 minutes.

Hello wadadah-ga,

Even without your clarification, I would say confidently that the
opera was an adaptation of Mozart's "Scipio's Dream" ("Il Sogno di
Scipione").  Your reference to a chorus confirms that this is correct.

Here is Ovation's description of the opera:

"Not Mozart: Scipio's Dream
World renowned opera composer Judith Weir transforms a little
known-opera of Mozart's Il Sogno di Scipione, written when he was 14,
into modern drama.  Scipio, bored at work, begins to dream and
transform two workers into  goddesses.  Constanza and Fortuna, one
serene, the other lavish, both vying for his attention and favor.  Led
to heaven and the realm of heroes, Scipio freefalls back to his
office, and the program ends in a triumph chorus few viewers will
forget."

"Highlights and Schedules -- Opera" [in category "Documentary and
Profiles"]
Ovation
http://www.ovationtv.com/programming/Categories/opera.html

[If you search on Ovation ( http://schedule.ovationtv.com/search.asp )
for Mozart, you'll get this description --

"Not Mozart: Scipio’s Dream – (Ep. 2)
Fresh and lively, this opera was composed by Mozart at the tender age
of fourteen.  Its freshness is restored in this contemporay rendition.
 Composer Judith Weir updates the opera by setting the opera in a
contemporary office setting-cubicles et al.

Not currently scheduled - check back soon for new program dates!"

There was also another modern Mozart-related program, which does not
sound like what you are referring to:

"Not Mozart: A Jazz Fantsay on Mozart Themes – (Ep. 3)
Swiss jazz composer Mathias Ruegg, six male members of the Vienna Art
Orchestra and six female jazz artists explore the fundamenatl role of
the well-known Austrian confection, the Mozartkugel, in life, the
universe and in Greek mythology.

Not currently scheduled - check back soon for new program dates!"]

Another description of Scipio's Dream provides details on the
production, as well as a synopsis and reviews:

"Scipio's Dream"
Chester Music & Novello & Co. Ltd
http://www.chesternovello.com/work/15969/main.html

For more about the original Mozart opera, including a link to the
Italian libretto, see:

"Il Sogno di Scipione"
OperaGlass Opera Index
http://opera.stanford.edu/Mozart/Scipione/main.html

- justaskscott-ga


Searched on Ovation for:

mozart

Browsed Ovation site for opera programs

Searched on Google for:

"scipio's dream"
"sogno di scipione"
"judith weir"

This, by its description sounds like it, but the name was a long
German construction possibly starting as Euf.......I will accept and
explore this proposed solution.

Thanks

wadadah --

Scipio's Dream is of course the opera I had in mind during our
clarification "conversation."  I thought it was prudent to ask for 
clarifications because the Weir work is so short and otherwise
unconventional and because Ovation apparently has at least one other
Mozart opera -- Peter Brooks's staging of Don Giovanni -- in its
program inventory.  Your clarifications were very helpful in zeroing
in on what is apparently the right answer.

Although the question was answered by another researcher after you
provided the additional information , I thought it appropriate to give
you the benefit of my earlier research by posting a link to some
information about Judith Weir, who created this 30-minute
made-for-television adaption for the BBC in 1991.  This site discusses
other operatic works by Weir and describes Scipio's Dream as follows
(near the bottom of the page):

"...a wacky rescoring, using a synthesiser for the recitatives. The
drama is no longer an opera seria vision of pre-Christian Carthage but
a soapy modern office romance in which a computer keyboard takes the
place of a harpsichord...Weir is one of the few contemporary composers
prepared to enlist laughter as a musical ally. It is a risky but
necessary ploy.
The Independent"

Chester Novello: Judith Weir
http://www.chesternovello.com/work/3268/main.html

I had not heard of this opera or the Weir restaging before working on
your question, so I found this research to be especially interesting.

markj-ga

I should note that I searched for information on the Peter Brooks
version of Don Giovanni, and did not see any indication that it was a
modern adaptation of the opera.