Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere of ‘Cold Mountain’ a treasure
Jennifer Higdon, in her first operatic effort, delivers Charles Frazier’s Civil War tale in a bright and original voice
By James Sohre
Contributing writer
Long a champion of new works, the venerable Santa Fe Opera has scored a resounding success with the world premiere of Cold Mountain.
Librettist Gene Scheer has transformed Charles Frazier’s novel into a riveting, richly detailed lyric drama that remains faithful to the author’s important plot points and themes, while composer Jennifer Higdon provides a restless score of pulsating confrontations, ever shifting musical moods, and almost unerring musical commentary and emotional support…