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''Hydrogen Jukebox'' is a 1990
chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a Chamber music, chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas ...
featuring the music of
Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...
and the work of beat poet
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of th ...
. Its name is taken from a phrase coined by Ginsberg, from his 1955 poem
Howl Howl most often refers to: * Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species * "Howl" (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg Howl or The Howl may also refer to: Film * '' The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film * ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 Am ...
.


History

Of the project, Glass said:
In 1988...I happened to run into Allen Ginsberg at St. Mark's Bookshop in New York City and asked him if he would perform with me. We were in the poetry section, and he grabbed a book from the shelf and pointed out '' Wichita Vortex Sutra''. The poem, written in 1966 and reflecting the anti-war mood of the times, seemed highly appropriate for the occasion. I composed a piano piece to accompany Allen's reading, which took place at the Schubert Theater on Broadway. Allen and I so thoroughly enjoyed the collaboration that we soon began talking about expanding our performance into an evening-length music-theater work. It was right after the 1988 presidential election, and neither Bush nor Dukakis seemed to talk about anything that was going on. I remember saying to Allen, if these guys aren't going to talk about the issues then we should.
The piece was intended to form a portrait of
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
covering the 1950s through the late 1980s. Glass and Ginsberg sought to incorporate the personal poems of Ginsberg, reflecting on social issues: the
anti-war An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conf ...
movement, the
sexual revolution The sexual revolution, also known as the sexual liberation, was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the late 1950s to the early 1 ...
,
drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...
,
eastern philosophy Eastern philosophy (also called Asian philosophy or Oriental philosophy) includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Korean philosophy, and Vietnamese philoso ...
,
environmental issues Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...
. The six vocal parts were thought to represent six archetypal American characters—a
waitress Waiting staff ( BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food and drink as requested. Waiting staff ...
, a policeman, a businessman, a
cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...
, a priest, and a
mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...
. Ginsberg said:
Ultimately, the motif of ''Hydrogen Jukebox'', the underpinning, the secret message, secret activity, is to relieve human suffering by communicating some kind of enlightened awareness of various themes, topics, obsessions, neuroses, difficulties, problems, perplexities that we encounter as we end the millennium. The title ''Hydrogen Jukebox'' comes from a verse in the poem ''
Howl Howl most often refers to: * Howling, an animal vocalization in many canine species * "Howl" (poem), a 1956 poem by Allen Ginsberg Howl or The Howl may also refer to: Film * '' The Howl'', a 1970 Italian film * ''Howl'' (2010 film), a 2010 Am ...
'': '...listening to the crack of doom on the hydrogen jukebox...' It signifies a state of hypertrophic high-tech, a psychological state in which people are at the limit of their sensory input with civilization's military jukebox, a loud industrial roar, or a music that begins to shake the bones and penetrate the nervous system as a hydrogen bomb may do someday, reminder of apocalypse.
The work formally premiered May 26, 1990 at the Spoleto Music Festival in Charleston, SC. However, the workshop staged version had premiered one month earlier at the American Music Theater Festival held in the Plays and Players theater, 1714 Delancey Place,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, PA on April 26. It ran there until May 6, followed on that closing night by an invitation-only reception attended by Philip Glass and Allen Ginsberg and other members of the company was held nearby. The
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
n premiere was given on April 17, 2003 at the Mount Nelson Theatre (
Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...
,
Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
) by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music, conducted by Douglas Knehans and directed by Robert Jarman.


Songs


Part one

Source: * Song #1: ''Iron Horse'' - "Lightning's blue glare fills the Oklahoma plains" * Song #2: ''Iron Horse'' - "Who's the enemy year after year?" * Song #3: ''Jaweh and Allah Battle'' - "Jahweh with Atom Bomb" * Song #4: ''Consulting I Ching smoking pot listening to the Fugs sing Blake'' - "That which pushes upward" * Song #5: ''Marijuana Notation'' - "How sick I am!" * Song #6: ''Patna-Benares Express'' - "Whatever it may be whoever it may be" / ''Last night in Calcutta'' - "Still night the old clock ticks" * Song #7: ''To P.O'' - "The whitewashed room," * Song #8: ''Last Night in Calcutta'' - "...And the vast starry space-" * Song #9: ''Crossing Nation'' - "Under silver wing" / ''Over Denver Again'' - "Grey clouds blot sunglare, mountains float west, plane" / ''Going to Chicago'' - "22,000 feet over hazed square vegetable plant" * Song #10: ''Wichita Vortex Sutra: Pt 2'' - "I'm an old man now, and a lonesome man in Kansas but not afraid"


Part two

* Song #11: ''Howl: Moloch (Section II)'' - "What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? * Song #12: ''Manhattan Thirties Flash'' - "Long stone streets inanimate..." * Song #13: ''Cabin in the Rockies'' - "Sitting on a tree stump with half a cup of tea" * Song #14: ''Nagasaki Days VI: Numbers in Red Notebook'' - "2,000,000 killed in Vietnam * Song #15: ''To Aunt Rose'' - "Aunt Rose—now might I see you" * Song #16: ''The Green Automobile'' - "If I had a green Automobile" * Song #17: ''Violence'' - "Mexicity drugstore table, giant," / ''CIA Dope Calypso'' - "Richard Secord and Oliver North" * Song #18: ''Nagasaki Days IV'' - "I walked outside and the bomb'd" * Song #19: ''Ayers Rock/Uluru Song'' - "When the red pond fills fish appear" * Song #20: ''Throw out the Yellow Journalists of Bad Grammar'' - "Out! Out! into the Buddhafields" * Song #21: ''Father Death Blues'' - "Hey Father Death, I'm flying home"


Recorded release


Part one

* "Song No. 1 from ''Iron Horse''" * "Song No. 2 ''Jahweh and Allah Battle''" * "Song No. 3 from ''Iron Horse''" * "Song No. 4 ''To P. O.''" * "Song No. 5 from ''Crossing Nation; Over Denver Again; Going to Chicago and To Poe: Over the Planet, Air Albany-Baltimore''" * "Song No. 6 from '' Wichita Vortex Sutra''


Part two

* "Song No. 7 from ''Howl''" * "Song No. 8 from ''Cabin in the Rockies''" * "Song No. 9 from ''Nagasaki Days (Numbers in Red Notebook)''" * "Song No. 10 ''Aunt Rose''" * "Song No. 11 from ''The Green Automobile''" * "Song No. 12 from ''N. S. A. Dope Calypso''" * "Song No. 13 from ''Nagasaki Days (Everybody's Fantasy)''" * "Song No. 14 ''Ayers Rock/Uluru Song and "Throw out the Yellow Journalists..."''" * "Song No. 15 ''Father Death Blues (from Don't Grow Old)''"


Personnel

World Premiere (Spoleto festivals) *Martin Goldray – conductor *Philip Glass – piano *Phillip Bush – keyboards *Alan Johnson – keyboards *Nelson Padgett – keyboards *Jack Kripl – winds *Rex Benicasa & James Pugliese- percussion *Richard Peck Jr- winds *Suzan Hanson – soprano *Darynn Zimmer – soprano *Linda Thompson – mezzo-soprano *Richard Fracker – tenor *Thomas N. Potter – baritone *James Butler – bass *Allen Ginsberg – narrator *Jerome Sirlin – production design Recording *Martin Goldray – keyboards, conductor *Philip Glass – piano *Carol Wincenc – flute *Andrew Sterman – soprano saxophone, bass clarinet *Frank Cassara & James Pugliese- percussion *Richard Peck – tenor saxophone *Elizabeth Futral – soprano *Michele Eaton – soprano *Mary Ann Hart – mezzo-soprano *Richard Fracker – tenor *Gregory Purnhagen – baritone *Nathaniel Watson – baritone *Allen Ginsberg – narrator *Jerome Sirlin – production design


In popular culture

Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
met his wife, Evelyn McGee-Colbert, at the premiere of ''Hydrogen Jukebox'' at the Spoleto Music Festival in 1990. While interviewing
Josh Brolin Josh James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. A son of actor James Brolin, he gained fame in his youth for his role in the adventure film ''The Goonies'' (1985). After years of decline, Brolin had a resurgence with his starr ...
during an episode of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert originally telecast April 15, 2022, Colbert admitted that when Evelyn asked for his address, he didn't have a pen, so he borrowed one from the person behind him, which happened to be Ginsberg. Hydrogen Jukebox is a Detroit rock'n'roll band formed in 2019.


References


External links


PhilipGlass.com: Compositions: Hydrogen Jukebox

PhilipGlass.com: Recordings: Hydrogen Jukebox
{{Authority control Operas Operas by Philip Glass Philip Glass albums Chamber operas Works by Allen Ginsberg Nonesuch Records albums Albums produced by Kurt Munkacsi 1990 operas Minimalist operas