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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 21 June 2019
After a 50-year wait, 'Stonewall' opera was written in weeks

By RONALD BLUM ah, a transgender hippie;
Associated Press and Sal, a Mafia-connect-
NEW YORK (AP) — The Pu- ed club manager.
litzer Prize-winning librettist "I think the most fun thing
Mark Campbell received a for me about this project
note in late February 2018 was getting to have the
from the general director of opportunity to represent
the New York City Opera: such a diverse cast of char-
"I may have a project for acters," Bell said. "We have
you, but you have to write such a glorious diversity of
quickly." cast here, representative
A day later, the note writer, of the people who were
Michael Capasso, asked at Stonewall that evening,
Campbell to collaborate and to have the chance to
on an opera commemo- give these people musical
rating the 50th anniversary life was utter joy."
of the Stonewall uprising, a Bell agreed to compose
turning point in the LGBTQ the opera after Capasso
movement. traveled to London and
Campbell would have only persuaded Bell over cof-
a few weeks to complete a fee at Fernandez & Wells
draft — warp speed in the in Mayfair. He composed
world of opera. This April 17, 2019 image provided by the New York City Opera shows singers from the opera the score after working on
"I said I absolutely am inter- "Stonewall" Liz Bouk, from left, Jordan Weatherston Pitts and Lisa Chavez. "Jack the Ripper: The Wom-
ested because I'm a gay Associated Press en of Whitechapel," which
man, I'm a gay man of a premiered in March at the
certain age and this sub- the Time Warner Center's thing else that's a little bit "It's New York." English National Opera.
ject matter appeals to me Rose Theater in a five-per- more elegant." Roles include Maggie, a Action takes place in three
a lot," Campbell explained. formance run that ends Opera Holland Park in Lon- butch lesbian; Andy, a parts over 75 minutes, first
"I also live in the West Vil- June 28 — exactly a half- don may present the pro- white kid who was kicked in many locations around
lage and I have frequent- century after the events duction next year, and the out of his home and lives on New York, then at and out-
ed the bar many times — portrayed. staging also may travel to the streets; Troy, a straight side the Stonewall Inn, and
not back in the day when "We don't think that cel- the Theatre des Champs- go-go boy and hustler who finally on Christopher Street
it happened. I'm not that ebrating Stonewall needs Elysees in Paris. uses drugs; Maynard, a before dawn. The composi-
old." to be a beer-soaked T-shirt, Campbell's work, which black clerk who goes by tion is scored for 40 orches-
Campbell was a teenager in-the-street celebration," coincides with WorldPride the name Renata at night; tra parts. A jukebox features
back then. He teamed with Capasso said during re- NYC 2019, begins with poly- Carlos, a Dominican Ameri- "Today's The Day," about a
the 38-year-old composer hearsals. "It could also be, syllabic profanity. can teacher; Edward, a wedding, and "Better Days
Iain Bell on "Stonewall," let's get dressed up, let's go "I don't want to sanitize their closeted financial adviser; Ahead," a sad song in the
which premieres Friday at to the opera, let's do some- language," Campbell said. Leah, a Jewish lesbian; Sar- style of Shirley Bassey.q

Moscow's Pushkin Museum presents Modernist art treasures

By KATE DE PURY tion,' brings together works But the array of priceless
MOSCOW (AP) — Iconic art amassed by the Russian masterpieces now hanging
works by Claude Monet, cloth magnate and his throughout the Pushkin, in-
Paul Cézanne, Paul Gau- brothers on numerous trips cluding Matisse's renowned
gin, Henri Matisse and Pab- they made to Paris before 'Dance', is testament to his
lo Picasso went on show the 1917 Bolshevik Revolu- unique taste and personal
Wednesday in a major ex- tion. conviction.
hibition at Moscow's Push- Shchukin showed his col- Shchukin "wanted to be
kin Museum. lection at his own home first, to discover things first
The treasures hail from the in Moscow, displaying and show them to the
early 20th century collec- works that were radically world and to create a new
tion of Russian businessman new at the time. He didn't history" Loshak said.
Sergei Shchukin, whose col- care what public opinion She described Shchukin as
lection was confiscated thought and pursued piec- one of the great art collec-
and then divided up by the es that even he sometimes tors, in a Russian tradition
Soviet state. found hard to appreciate, Visitors look at painting by Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh which includes banker Pav-
of the collections of Sergei Shchukin, one of the most prominent
The exhibition unites works but which he thought were collections of European Modernist art at The Pushkin State Mu- el Tretyakov (whose Russian
from the Pushkin, Hermit- compelling and important. seum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 18, 2019. art collection fills Moscow's
age and other museums in "Shchukin was prepared Associated Press Tretyakov State Gallery).
what is arguably the most for a lack of understand- "It's hard to find someone
complete version of his ing from society — this was rector Marina Loshak told the course of 20th century who collects contempo-
collection, offering view- total — not just his own The Associated Press. "He art history. rary art in this way, with
ers the chance to see it business milieu but the art did all this knowingly, he ex- He bought Gaugin, Ma- such passion and making it
as Shchukin himself con- community, critics and ex- pected such reaction and tisse, the French Impres- their life's object, these kind
ceived it. cellent Russian artists, who he was delighted by it." sionists and Picasso when of people are few, but they
The exhibition, 'Shchukin. did not accept Matisse or Loshak sees Shchukin as a these artists were deeply existed in Russia," Loshak
Biography of a collec- cubist Picasso," Pushkin Di- pioneer who influenced unfashionable in Europe. said.q